Work Text:
The job market is looking pretty dire. Katie has been rejected by nearly every business in the god damn city and the rent prices are only getting higher.
She swallows her pride and enters the damned KFC, resume in hand. KFC isn’t even the worst job she has applied for yet; somehow this one felt a bit more humiliating than the others. She has to swallow her pride though, and hope that she won't get rejected for the hundredth time. Or worse - ghosted. Her pride was already too damaged, she isn't ready to take another blow.
Katie walks into the establishment, chin up and a faux confidence only she could carry. As the doors split open, a sort of musty smell hits her nostrils causing an immediate sense of regret to course through her mind. The sight of the unkempt establishment with its stained furniture, flickering lights that shone a sickly yellowish light, sticky floors and wait- is that moldy potatoes on the tables? Gross. “Well the show must go on I guess”, she thinks with a sigh, if only that Zabka literally next door could have hired her instead. So what she yelled at the manager five minutes into the interview? It demonstrates passion if anything!
She approaches the counter with a smile. “Can I speak to your manager?” She asks confidently. This seems to strike some terror into the pink-haired man behind the counter causing his eyes to bulge out of his skull, as he blinks slowly.
“He kinda looks like if a lizard was forced to work at a KFC”, she thought with a giggle. “Holy shit, Zuckerberg is that you?”
“Ma’am…” he called out, breaking her train of thought. He continues to stare anxiously with those fuckass beady eyes. Reconsidering her words Katie says, “Oh no I'm not complaining don't you worry. I'm just here to hand in my resume to the boss”.
The man looks her up and down with suspicion. Finally breaking the semi-awkward silence he says, "I'll go get him I guess”.
“Ok, he didn't do anything to make that interaction any less uncomfortable" thought Katie. “Man, this place could really do with some better customer service. Like mine!”
She's yet again, rudely jolted out of her thoughts by the presence of an intimidating looking man with large goat horns spiking through his messy hair. He was about as tall as Katie but he somehow still looked scary, leaning over the counter with a piercing stare. Not to Katie of course she's not scared of anything. “This must be the guy in charge of this gross ass place”, she figured, trying not to let her surprise emanate through her facial expression. She isn't doing a very good job.
“Jesus Christ lady, the sandwiches did not cause you diarrhea. Even if they did we don't offer refunds so you’ll just have to deal with it”
“Sir…”, she tries to interrupt”
“For any other complaints just send an email and don't ask for the manager again. I'm a busy man. I don't have all day to listen to your petty ass complaints”
“SIR”. she yells. That seems to catch his attention.
“I'm just here to submit my application, but trust me I agree with you. All everyone wants to do these days is complain. They don't appreciate your time and they aren't even respectful.”, rambles Katie, hoping that a shared anger and enough buzz words will convince "Schlatt" (as the nametag reads) to hire her.
“Ok perfect you're hired”, says Schlatt cutting her monologue off. A quick skim of the resume showed him everything he needed to know. “Our old guy just quit so you can start tomorrow if you want.”
“Wait oh my god really! I knew my speech was convincing. See I'm good at on the spot improv which is exactly what you need for customer service-”,
“Kid, I said you’re hired, you don't have to continue this spiel- I'm a busy man.”, says Schlatt, cutting her off. He looks awfully indifferent to the fact that he has just changed Katie's life, she is finally employed! This changes everything. She can buy food and she can catch the bus instead of walking everywhere. Revolutionary.
“Of course Mr Schlatt, my apologies, I’ll be here tomorrow bright and early!”, Katie says eagerly
“Dont fuckin call me that, you gotta prove yourself first”, he says, turning back and returning to the back kitchen, allowing the young cashier to resume his position. He looks a lot less stressed now but his eyes are still alarmingly large, Katie notes.
___________________________
The next day she shows up to work bright and early. Well maybe not early. Maybe not even on time if she thinks about it. But it was a valiant effort on her part. She's greeted by the pink-haired man from yesterday who she comes to learn is Mike, who takes on the role of training her. He also takes on every other role in the store it seems, as if was the only employee at one of the busiest parts of town. He is very patient in teaching her, never once getting annoyed or angry. It feels good, Katie decides. She likes Mike. if he keeps up this good streak might even be her favorite person
Katie tightens her apron and observes as chatter fills the building. Mike frantically hops around the kitchen juggling the various tasks at hand as the rush hour hellfire breaks loose, leaving the new hire to fend for herself
“Mike! I’ll cook the chicken for you don't you worry!” Katie exclaims with optimism, arming herself with a knife in one hand, chicken in the other. Turns out she needed a little more guidance as Mike returns 30 minutes later to find her in the exact position he'd left her. The only difference in the scene being a bin filled with suspiciously charred looking chicken.
A unanimous decision is reached, that Katie would perhaps be more successful manning the register and banishing her from entering the kitchen unless strictly necessary.
As it turns out, there isn't a more perfect role for Kaite. She is a memorable face of the business with a very likeable personality. She is also equally talented at dealing with angry customers, which KFC gets its fair share of for some reason. Halfway through one of her many skirmishes with an angry customer, an imposing voice booms out from behind, startling the new worker.
“Katie B. What the hell are you doing?” Schlatt in all his glory had somehow gone unnoticed by an otherwise occupied Katie B and was now looking concerningly angry
“Oh perfect, he finally shows up to work and it has to be right fucking now?”, thinks Katie, taking a mental note to check her fucking surroundings.
Shortly after this she has a worse thought, “Holy shit in gonna lose my job”, the startling realisation hit Katie like a truck, causing a spiral of emotions- mostly joy cus fuck this dirty ass place. But also sadness because there's no way anyone will hire her ever again. Not only did her resume look pathetic, she got fired. From KFC of all places.
“Katie. Fucking hell can she hear me”
She snapped out of her thoughts, realising that not replying to her boss probably isn't going to make the situation better, “Of course Mr J I was just explaining to this customer that the smell is actually intentionally used to create ambiance”. “But this dumbass doesn't get it”, she rambled. It was a nervous habit she’d picked up.
“My name is not dumbass it's Eweron” he emphasised. This cocky motherfucker
“Not that anyone in this business cares about knowing their customers or anything. You know every time I walk into this store I am disrespected, I’m yelled at and honestly I've never seen worse customer service in my life. I mean think of Zabka. I walked in and they gave me complimentary coffee-”
“If you like Zabka so much why don't you go suck their dick Eweron. I can't go a single day without hearing from you, I swear to god”, said Schlatt, sounding a bit irritated and mostly bored of this entire ordeal. Oh my god was Mr J defending Katie? No that can be. Maybe he can be her second favourite; after Mike of course no one can beat the king himself.
“Oh my god I remember you. You interviewed me at Zabka!”, exclaimed Katie
Schlatt watched in confusion as this exchange had a sudden shift in tone as the two started bonding? Somehow? Remembering how little he gave a shit, he quickly left to go back to do his work- whatever that is.
The sun travelled through the sky as the day slowly inched away. Mike was the only one feeling the effects of the long day with Katie appearing just as chipper as when she first showed up and Schlatt’s only contribution being the ever rising plume of smoke pouring out of the break room
As the lights flickered off across the worn building, Mike was the first to rush out of the door. It's not hard to believe that he would rather be anywhere in the world than at KFC; well we all know it has a special place in his heart. It's what keeps him coming back day after day. That and the insanely good pay Schlatt offers to make up for… everything really.
As Schlatt pulls out the keys to his car, he notices Katie walking past the otherwise empty parking lot towards the road. “How do you plan on getting home?”. He questions.
“I think I can just walk home. Maybe catch a bus. How far is it from here to the island?”, she asks casually.
‘Holy shit you live on the island? That's like a 40 minute drive on a good day.. You can walk that far. You won't come back tomorrow.”, he says, his voice raised in disbelief. Katie thinks this is the most emotion he’s seen from the man so far.
As Katie observes him grow increasingly anxious, a beaming grin appears on her face, “Oh my god you do care!”
“You know what you're right. My bad. I should’ve just minded my damn business”, he exclaims, turning his back to his car. Now Katie doesn't know shit about cars but she can tell that that's a bougie ass car. How does he own that, he's manager at a KFC for fucks sake.
“No no, Mr J I didn't mean it I'm sorry. I’m sorry!”, she calls out after him. Katie isn’t dumb. She knows that getting on bad terms with your boss on the very first day can not be good.
“Alright fine get in”, he succumbs to his poor, bleeding heart
“Oh my God really? You're the best Mr J!”, she exclaims in delight.
Don't get it twisted, Schlatt doesn't like Katie, he simply tolerated her. But he's not gonna let her walk home late at night. In this city? Fuck no. He's not a monster.
Katie clambers in with motor skills, adjacent to that of a toddler. She sinks into the seat, taking it all in. Now Katie doesn't know shit about cars but she can tell that that's a bougie ass car. How does Mr J, manager at a KFC own that? Who knows.
Katie continues her rambling shortly after, “Oh my god Mr J, you're the best coworker ever! Mike doesn't even offer me a smoke. He only talks about staying healthy and looking after myself. You would thought wouldn't you”
“Car rule - no talking”, he cut off abruptly. That made her shut up, really wanting to impress the man.
“Car rule two - don't touch the damn radio. Or any of my shit infact”, she resigned to holding her hands on her lap.
“Car rule three - close the damn windows you're letting the cold air out”, alright this guy is really killing Katie's vibe. Also it's winter? Fuck you mean letting out the cold air?
“You know what Mr J we should play a game, how about you say three nice things about me”, silence.
“You know what I'll start. It's okay, you're shy. I get it. I love your beard - honestly you've got great hair in general-”
“Rule number one”, he cuts her off coldly, turning the volume dial up to combat the chatter-box he'd allowed in his car. For the rest of the drive, Schlatt is oblivious to anything Katie may be saying or doing- instead drowning it out with jazz and a cigar. Perfect.
The island is a small unsuspecting suburb, connected to the rest of the city with a bridge. As the moonlight glistens over the water and the island slowly comes into view, Schlatt remembers how beautiful his home is. It’s nothing special but everything about it is perfect for a middle class man like him.
As he drives further into the island, the car wheels struggle through the old streets. Despite living there for many years, Schlatt has never been to this part of the island, he never even knew about it. It was in the same suburbs as his yet there was a distinct difference to this place.
By the time the car pulls up in front of Katie’s apartment she is fully dozed off, tiring herself out from the constant chatter. Schlatt never replied. She doesn't mind though she appreciates the company.
The building is barely illuminated by the dulled street lights. Despite the pitch black of the night, it doesn't take a genius to know this place is an absolute dump in every means of the word. The car is parked there for a while as Schlatt awkwardly contemplates how to wake the sleeping figure beside him.
“Fuck. Why do I do this to myself?”
He finally settles on gently nudging her awake. “Katie. Katie get up”, he semi whispers.
It takes him a further 10 minutes to coax her out of the car and for her to say her delirious goodbyes. Schlatt drives home in silence. Something he rarely does.
_____________
As the months pass the two form a steady routine. They drive home with the music on full blast, Katie talking about her day until she's lulled to sleep by the rumbling of the engine.
Schlatt tuned her out initially, but he found himself learning more and more about her. Still she never traveled more about herself than she intended. She had this knack for saying so much and so little at the same time.
He also observes his two employees grow closer and closer. Some may say they're “trauma bonding” but that seems a bit dramatic doesn't it.
Katie's beginning to really get the hang of this role. She was the perfect hire if anything. She loves to chat and can yell when she needs to. What more could you ask for?
One fine day, Schlatt is going about his usual routine of smoking a pipe and maybe downing some alcohol, when he hears some commotion on the other side of the walls. This isn't out of the ordinary for KFC but the voices seemed to only get louder and it isn't even Katie yelling this time. That's odd enough to prod him to investigate.
Christ, can't a man catch some peace around here. He marches to the register, it's probably some angry old asshole, nothing Schlatt can't deal with.
However he is not met with an old man. Looking directly at him is a man Schlatt is all too familiar with. Even with a mask covering this man's features, the purple scar decorating the length of his face is still unmissable.
A sly grin forms on the man's face, “Schlatt! I've missed you man, how have you been?”
Now if it weren't for the counter barricading Schlatt, he would pounce on this motherfucker with no hesitation.
“Ashswag, to what do I owe you the pleasure”, maintaining a tight lipped smile. Or his best attempt at one anyway. He restrains himself back from displaying his anger, not with Katie and Mike beside him.
He gestures subtly at his employees to leave the scene. To no one's surprise, Katie does not recognise her cue and is dragged out by Mike
Now that it's just the two of them, Schlatt’s entire demeanour shifts. This doesn't go unnoticed by Ash as he begins squirming under the heavy gaze upon him and shifting away. Unfortunately for him, he's now too deep into this to turn back.
“What the hell do you think you're doing coming into my store, messing with my employees”.
Fear overtakes Ash, paralysing him as he realises just how mad Schlatt seems to be.
He has to say something. He can't just stand here looking like a fool, “Listen Schlatt - I can explain-”
He soon finds out that this is not what Schlatt wants to hear.
“I don't want to hear one more word out of you Ash. You know my rules: no business talk outside my office. Especially not at my KFC”
Ash scrambles to explain himself before Schlatt can get any more angry, “Look I just needed to talk to you urgently so I thought-”
“I don't care how urgent it is, don't mess with my damn KFC. I have one rule, Ash. One rule. And you can't even keep that”
“I didn't mess with anything I swear-”
“I heard you yelling at my employee, kid. Don't fucking lie to me. Get. The hell. Out.”
Ash knows his limit and this is it. He resigns his fate and slowly leaves out the door, not turning to look back at the anger marring Schlatt’s face. He fucked up and Schlatt made sure to let him know of it.
Schlatt has his eyes trained on the boy, watching him until he's out of sight. He’s a good business partner, a hard worker and a determined young man; he’d be lying if he denied this. But he crossed a line today that Schlatt wasn't sure if he could forgive anytime soon.
He re-enters the break room hoping to go back to relaxing. Nope. He is met with the sight of Katie sitting in the corner, blasting music through her headphones, with occasional bursts of singing. Mike sat next to her making a feeble attempt at comforting her. It's a strange sight to behold; it almost feels like a fever dream.
“Katie”, he calls out. No response
Maybe a slight increase in volume?, “Katie! Katie?”. Never mind her music is so loud.
“It's never oh-ver. Oh the kingdom for the kiss-”, her singing is remarkably out of tune Schlatt notes, attempting to tune out the vocal performance. I mean honestly does she even know the lyrics? Nope doesn't sound like it.
The two men observe in silence the meltdown Kaite seems to be undergoing. The tense silence only being disrupted by bursts of singing. After about a minute, Mike has to leave and go back to his work, as customers begin to appear, leaving Schlatt alone with the distraught girl.
Turns out he has no idea how to even begin comforting someone. So he just sits with her. Slowly she begins to spill all that's weighing on her mind. Schlatt soon learns that Ash didn’t only break his trust by coming into KFC against his wishes, he’s also harassed and threatened his friends.
Ashswag is the leading member of the biggest resistance group in the city. His enigmatic nature means that no one truly knows what he looks like or who he is. Similarly Schlatt is also a powerful yet mysterious figure, as the owner of the largest cryptocurrency business in the country. Their relations are purely transactional and are solely maintained by mutual respect and fear of the other. Schlatt never liked Ash. He's too political; rash in more ways than one. Despite all of this, he is the most powerful man around. With more wealth and resources than the federation themselves Schlatt would be an idiot to turn down this alliance all over a petty squabble.
“I guess I am an idiot”, Schlatt concedes.
He really doesn't know what sort of demon possessed him. But as he is sitting there listening to Katie, talk about herself and her experiences for the first time since he's come to know her all those months ago. He realises that he's never truly had a friend; only allies aiming to get something out of his wealth and power. Only boyfriends who leave him the second things get hard. This is maybe the first time he had truly cared about someone this much in the entirety of his existence and he knows the love is mutual. He's sure of it.
Katie, oblivious to any of the thoughts tormenting Schlatt, continues to chat about her life. Her tears, now long gone as the reassurance from Schlatt is all she needed. Turns out Schlatt doesn't hate her! Nor is she going to get fired! Things are looking good.
This is also the first time since the pair first met that Schlatt hasn't told her to shut up when she began ranting. In fact it might have been the first time ever that someone is giving her an ear; she is determined to make the most of this experience. It isn't until Mike runs drenched in sweat, informing them both that he’d finished cleaning up for the day that Katie finally concludes her tale.
“That boy definitely deserves a raise”, thinks Schlatt, eyeing him up and down.
He offers the boy a pat on the back, looking proud, “Alright kid get home safe now. Good work”, he was met with a cheesy smile and a joyous expression. God, his employees are great.
He's a good kid. Hardworking, kind, a very admirable character in times like these. He had earned Schlatt's respect from the day they'd met. This was an impressive feat.
As the moon dances across the sky, Katie and Schlatt drive home, the car filled with tunes of soft jazz and boisterous laughs. A warming peace settles over the both as they had finally found closure within themselves. They pick up a go bucket for Katie from an actual KFC and drive home to the outskirts of the city - relishing the presence of the other. Although neither of them would ever admit it. It felt good to finally have a family.