Snowflake (Jackunzel AU)

Chapter One

"What's up, Jack?"

"Don't you think this place is a little empty with just us working here?" he asked. He tried to keep his worry out of his voice; so far it seemed to work. "I mean, it's just you, me, Tony, and Flynn. I think we should hire someone else. Or two someones." He kept a steady eye on Mari's face. The seemingly-delicate South Korean was known for her emotions and quick temper, although she was significantly calmer around Jack. It was a good thing he was the one bringing up this concern.

She stopped cleaning and pulled out a circular pocket mirror and started fixing individual strands of her hair. Her black bob was styled with a side part that framed her round face. At one point she had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to dye her hair, so there were still hints of pink and green and blue strands of hair that began an inch down from her roots. "That's actually not a bad idea," she said, "but who could we hire? Everyone here knows us. Everyone wants to drink our coffee, not be stuck making it."

"I don't know," Jack sang. "A girl my age would do some good. Bring in the business a little more with her dainty little face, her blonde hair, a winning smile..."

Mari burst into laughter. "Oh, now I get what this is about."

"What?"

"You want a girlfriend. And you're too lazy to go find someone yourself."

Jack's cheeks immediately heated up. His face looked stark red compared to his stark white hair. "That's not it!" That kind of was it. "I care about your business." Which was true. "And I want this place to prosper and become a chain. You'll be known worldwide." Which was also a hope of his. Mari deserved more than just sitting around in Saint-Basile for x amount of time.

"Lighten up, J. I was teasing you. I thought I was cute enough for this place, but I'm also probably getting too old for some people. A new hire isn't a bad idea." She stuck her mirror back in her pocket and made her way to the back room. "I'm going to grab the sign and put it on the front window."

Before Mari was able to make a move for the door and before Jack was able to tell her what a great idea that was, a cacophonous outburst from the chimes above the front door brought Tony into Stardust with a smile on his face. "I quit!"

There were only three customers left. The couple playing the café's copy of Cards Against Humanity stopped mid-game. The old man in one of the original bar stools covered his face with his newspaper but turned up his hearing aid beforehand. Jack immediately looked between the feisty teenager and the tempered store owner. Mari's knuckles were white against the back room's handle. "You what."

The boy's laugh was piercing. "I said I quit, you old bat." Tony walked past Mari, into the back room, and returned with his black waiter's apron. He lay the accessory over Mari's arm. "My mom got a job transfer and as of tomorrow I'll be on my way to New York City to live a better life." He gave the apron a sarcastically loving pat.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Mari said, her voice raising with every word. Jack closed his eyes. Don't lose your temper, Mari. Don't do it. "You know you have to give two weeks notice. We need time to find someone new. We just got renovations done and you're trying to tell me that you quit? For Hell's sake, Tony, Flynn isn't even back from Quebec yet! How do you expect Jack and I to run this place alone until then?"

The smile never left Tony's face. He shrugged and made his way to the door. "I don't really know but I also don't really care," he said. "I have more important things to think about. Like packing my bags for a city with more opportunities. Whatever you end up doing, Mari, I hope you have fun in this nowhere town."

Jack refused to look over at the store owner. He was too afraid of what emotion he would see, but he had a feeling before he fixed his gaze on her.

His guess was right.

There was Mari, the hand that once gripped the back room's handle now pressed against the wall. She was staring at nothing in particular and her mouth was parted slightly. Silent tears fell from her eyes. When she met Jack's gaze after what felt like an eternity, her words pierced the hearts of the other four people in the room. "What are we supposed to do now?" 

—————— 

update: Aug. 23, 2016 

The new and improved version of Snowflake is now on its way! I know it may seem like a bit of a drag but I really do hope you guys are as excited as I am. The plot is still the same, don't worry, but the writing itself has been updated and a few minor changes have been made. 

Here's the biggest things: if you remember Kae, her name is now Mari. She's still the same person, same physique, same personality – just a different name. ANYWAYS.

Let me know what you think? 

Linn