West smirked faintly.
"Yeah," he replied. "I’m counting on it."
And with that, he walked off into the distance.
West wasn’t planning to join Iron Chain... or any gang for that matter.
He only said "I’ll think about it" because it was the oldest trick in human history: lie politely and escape alive. If he’d said no outright, they’d keep pressing. If he’d insulted them, they’d keep pressing with fists. So he did what any sane person would do when three awakened gang members were breathing down his neck.
He lied.
Although, he had taken them down very quickly, what the other loud mouthed mentioned wasn’t exactly invalid. He sneaked attacked them. In a direct confrontation where both sides are well aware that they’re getting into a fight, anything could happen. They were awakened after all.
By the time West reached Ash & Crème, his shoulders finally loosened. The warm café lights spilled onto the sidewalk like honey, and the familiar smell of espresso and pastries hit him right in the soul. If there was any place in this city that still felt normal, it was here.
He pushed the door open—
"WEEEEEEST!"
Jax’s voice detonated across the café like a flashbang.
Heads turned.
A customer nearly dropped their cup.
West flinched so hard he almost resummoned a goddess by accident.
Jax leaned over the counter like a proud father at a graduation ceremony. "My son has returned!"
West’s lips twitched. "I’m older than you by three months."
"And yet I raised you," Jax declared with conviction. "I raised you through emotional turbulence. Through heartbreak. Through memes. Through your ’I’m fine’ era."
West pointed a finger. "I was never in an ’I’m fine’ era."
Jax gasped. "He denies his trauma. Classic."
Two workers were taking off their aprons near the back. One was a guy who always looked half-asleep. The other was a petite and pretty girl with a neat ponytail and a voice that always sounded like she was apologizing even when she wasn’t.
The guy nodded. "Yo. Welcome back."
The girl smiled warmly. "We’re glad you’re okay, West. Seriously."
West returned the smile, genuine. "Thanks."
Jax made a disgusted face. "Look at him. Mr. Popular. Mr. Survived a Ruin and Came Back With A Glow. Meanwhile I survived Mina’s shift schedule and came back with a hernia."
The girl giggled as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Good luck."
"Pray for me," Jax said, clasping his hands dramatically. "If I die, tell the world I died handsome."
The door chimed as the two workers left. Jax leaned in again, lowering his voice like he was about to deliver secret government intel.
"Mina wants to see you."
West’s body went still.
"...Mina wants to see me?"
"Yup."
West exhaled like a man preparing to face judgment day. "Do you think I’m fired?"
Jax blinked. "You survived a Ruin. You fought or ran from monsters. You bled in foreign dimensions—"
"Answer the question."
Jax’s lips pressed together. "West... I’m going to be honest... she might kill you."
West’s eyes narrowed. "Jax."
"I’m joking!" Jax held his hands up. "Probably. Maybe. Look—just go. If you don’t come back, I’ll inherit your locker and your fan club."
"I don’t have a fan club."
Jax smirked. "Your locker has love letters in it."
West paused.
"...How did you know about the locker?"
Jax shrugged. "I’m your best friend... I know everything... Also I’m a criminal."
West sighed and headed to the back, bracing himself.
The moment he stepped into Mina’s office area, he saw her.
Mina was standing with her arms crossed, apron still on, hair tied back and eyes narrowed like she was about to conduct a public execution. She was only twenty-four, but she had the aura of a strict older sister who had already paid the bills, raised the kids, and buried the landlord.
West’s stomach dropped.
He cleared his throat. "Hey."
Mina didn’t answer immediately.
She just stared.
West tried to interpret her expression.
Was it anger? Disappointment? Murder?
He spoke quickly. "I know I missed a week and I—"
Mina stepped forward.
And West who was fully expecting a slap, a lecture, a termination letter, and a final emotional monologue, got pulled into a tight hug so sudden his brain malfunctioned.
"Don’t scare me like that again, kid," Mina muttered, squeezing him like she was trying to make sure he was real.
West’s eyes widened.
His hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure where to go, because his system stats were high enough now that a wrong hug could technically become assault.
"...Uh."
Mina released him, and her eyes were a little glossy. She immediately coughed and reassembled her strict face like an actor snapping back into character.
"I heard what happened," she said sharply. "Ruin incident. Hospital. News everywhere. Jax was acting like he was the one who survived."
From the hallway outside, Jax yelled, "I DID SURVIVE! EMOTIONALLY!"
Mina shouted back without turning. "JAX! If you speak again I’ll put you in the oven!"
Silence.
West tried not to laugh but he failed.
Mina continued, "I don’t mind you missing the week. I wanted to give you more time off, actually."
West blinked. "Seriously?"
Mina jabbed a finger at his chest. "You’re a kid. You nearly died. If you want more time off, take it."
West scratched his cheek. "I’m okay."
Mina looked him up and down. "You’re okay... but you look like you got chewed by the city and spat back out."
West smiled. "That’s... accurate."
Mina’s gaze softened again. "Just... don’t do that again."
West almost said, I’ll try, but remembered that the path he had chosen would certainly have him running head first into danger in the near future.
So he said, "I won’t."
Mina waved him out with a satisfied look. "Go work. Don’t make me regret being emotional."
West nodded with a smile and headed back out to the front.
The shift was surprisingly normal, in a way that felt wrong. Like the universe was gathering strength for the next slap.
Customers came in. Coffee orders. Cupcakes. Jax flirting with a middle-aged lady for tips. A kid crying because his donut fell. An old man claiming the café’s chairs were "too modern."