"Huh? Hey...Did you scoff at me right now? Seriously?"  A tall man stood from their seat. Oki had been turned away from him, but he knew that angry tone anywhere. It happened every time there was a misunderstanding. He was trying to work. Why did everyone have to give him a hard time while doing so? He finally turned his head toward the angry man. Now that he had a good look at him, the guy who stood up was too old to pull this crap. Had he been doing something earlier to warrant this kind of reaction? If not, he should have known that the action wasn't directed at him. Oki stared the man down. "...Sorry. Wasn't directed at you." He replied. He knew it was pointless, even if he did apologize. He sounded too dismissive, which would piss anybody off. If Oki wasn't anything else, he was at least polite enough to realize how his actions made him act that way. Even if it was unintentional. But if the past told him anything, his face never helped. His words were useless. 

The man that stood before him fumed. "Oh really? That was so fucking rude! And what's with the face? You gotta be kidding me..." The woman across from him was looking flustered, looking between her date and the teenager he was arguing with. 

"I told you I didn't mean to direct it at you. I apologized. I'm sorry." He tried to even out his voice to sound less deadpan. He could tell from the guy's face it wasn't working. "Oh yeah? You don't sound sorry to me, asshole.." Oki was shocked by the name-calling, sort of. This time, he didn't care for that. Instead of humoring the bored man, he turned his head away again. He wasn't going to get in trouble this time. Besides...he didn't want the man to see he was angry. It was subtle, but those close to Oki could tell by his body language if he was angry. He rolled his shoulders back.

"So fucking...Rude! Hey! I'm talking to you!" The man reached over and grabbed Oki by his shoulder. The woman who sat near him stood from her table now, "Hold on! Devon, and he must not have meant anything by it. Let him go!" she begged. The man was tall and toned. He was confident his grip was hurting the guy in front of him. He ignored his date. Oki's eyes snapped open wide. 

This wasn't very pleasant. He was trying to wash some dishes and do his damn job. He didn't want to get in trouble, but Oki wasn't a pushover. He slowly turned his head to 'Devon.' "...Get your hands off of me and listen to her." He was trying to explain as slowly as he could to the guy. "You're getting on my nerves. Only you will end up in trouble, 'sir.'" He warned. 

Devon gave him a harsh glare. "...Is that so...Then do something about it." He said as he gripped his shoulder harder. They stared each other down. Oki grabbed hold of Devon's wrist. Devon reacted promptly, trying to free his wrist from Oki's hand. He tried to move back, "What the hell.." Oki held on tighter, "I warned you the first time. I apologized." His eyes widened, never wavering from the tough guy in front of him. "Go on. Try to hit me." Devon thrashed his arm, "That hurts! Get the fuck off of me!"

"Enough!"

The two looked over. "Boss..." Oki said. He looked down at his hand and quickly let go of the man's wrist. The man who yelled rushed over to the two, gently pushing them away from each other. "What is going on? Oki! His wrist!" Oki stared at his boss, Ain. He was thirty years old, having owned this restaurant for the past ten years. He could be described as handsome, with short black hair and slanted blue eyes. He always wore some hair accessories, mostly pins and headbands. He was charismatic, helpful, and compassionate. He was someone who could speak his mind clearly, and express himself freely. For the past year, he had been letting Oki work part-time after a misunderstanding that happened earlier in the year. It had been so bad it caused property damage. Fortunately, despite his looks and demeanor, Oki offered to pay it off. They had gotten along so well, and Oki was so earnest he ended up staying. It looks like it was happening again. No...Ain knew Oki didn't mean to do that. 

"...Why were you putting your hands on my employee?" Ain said, turning to the man. "...What? Look at my wrist!" He held it in front of the man and the boy, "Look how fucked it is! I want him arrested!" He shouted. His date had stood up and began picking up her stuff. She figured she should get out of there. "If we called the cops...You'd be arrested." Oki mumbled. Ain gave the man a hard stare. "...He's right, sir. No matter how you see it...You put your hands on a child first." 

"A child?! There's no way that guy is still a minor!" 

"He is, though. You need to stay here while I call the cops." Ain said as he pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open and began dialing 9-1-1. "What?? Fuck that!" Devon pushed both of them out of the way. He ran out the door. His date had left long ago. From when she first heard that he put his hands on a kid. 

Ain had his finger over the call button. He sighed, deciding not to do anything. He turned to Oki. "...You okay, kid?" He asked gently. "You left a nasty bruise on that guy." Oki turned to stare at him. He nodded, "I'm fine. I was going to ask you not to call the police anyway." He began picking up the dishes again. Ain leaned over and gently put a hand on his arm. "Oki...It's almost past curfew. You should go home." 

Oki shook his head. "...No, I'll finish my job." 

"You're gonna get me in trouble, Oki. I know you don't like it when someone helps or shows concern for you. But it would be best if you allowed others in. Go home. I'll finish up." Ain finished with that. He reached into his back pocket and pulled a bandana out. Black was Oki's favorite color to wear. "Here...For your hair next time. Tie it up, and maybe you won't have such a big misunderstanding next time." Oki set the plate basin down. "...Yes, sir. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Be careful on your way out Oki. You may be a little out past curfew. It gets dangerous at night." Ain warned, not looking up as he put the dishes away. Oki didn't say a word as he changed into his school uniform.

Why was he always such a nuisance?