FAKE Ficlet: Summer Wages
Title: Summer Wages
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Bikky, Carol, Ryo.
Rating: G
Word Count: 637
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Bikky is making plans for what he’ll do over the summer break from school.
Written For: My Mini Summer Bingo Prompt ‘Summer Job’ at fffc.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters.
With the end of term rapidly approaching and the blissful freedom of summer break looming ever larger on his personal horizon, Bikky was looking forward to not having to drag himself to school five days a week only to sit through hours of lessons learning things he’d probably never remember or even need. At long last there’d be enough time for him to enjoy all the fun things that got relegated to the weekends, and to school nights only after he’d finished all of his homework, the rest of the time.
He could play basketball with his friends whenever he wanted, weather permitting, or dust off his rollerblades and hit the park with Carol. They hadn’t done that in a while, what with exams and studying taking up so much of their time, but the biggest ordeal of the school year was almost over; just a couple more exams to go and then they could both give their overworked brains a well-deserved break from thinking. That would be a relief; his head was crammed so full of useless facts and figures it was miracle it hadn’t exploded. Then again, that might still happen; there was still time.
Rubbing tired eyes, Bikky flopped onto his back, ignoring the schoolbooks spread out on his bed, and went back to planning his summer. He smiled to himself as he thought about spending time with Carol. Maybe he could take his girl to the Central Park Zoo, or the movies to watch all the summer blockbusters, or the funfair out at Coney Island…
Of course, those things cost money, so he might not be able to afford for them do all of that. Although Ryo gave him a fair allowance, Bikky knew his foster father was far from rich and probably wouldn’t be able to give him extra. Even as a detective second grade his wages didn’t stretch to much in the way of luxuries. Most of what he earned went on paying rent and buying food, along with all the stuff Bikky needed for school; it was no wonder so many cops supplemented their income in other ways.
“I’ve got a summer job,” Carol told him excitedly a few days later. “It’s only mornings, five days a week, so I’ll still have the afternoons and weekends free, but it means I’ll be getting paid. It’ll help towards my living costs when I start college.”
That was a bit of a blow to Bikky’s plans for a summer of fun and no responsibilities other than the chores he did at home, but it made him think. Because he was so tall, he looked older than he was; maybe he could get a summer job too. That would take care of all his money worries; he and Carol would be able to go wherever they wanted, when they weren’t working.
With only a week of school left, he started asking around the next day, after classes, and soon found just what he needed: Mornings only, Monday to Friday, eight until noon, working in a hardware store. Better yet, it was less than three blocks from the boutique where Carol would be working, so they’d be able to meet up every day as soon as they got off work and have lunch together before deciding how to spend their afternoons. It would mean he’d still have to get up early every day, but he could live with that if it meant he was earning money.
The store’s owner was a bit dubious at first about hiring him, until Bikky proved he knew his way around tools. It was amazing how much he’d picked up from watching Dee do odd jobs around the apartment and at the orphanage, not to mention fixing Ryo’s car a few times. As well as stocking the shelves and checking the inventory to see what the store needed to order, he’d be able to advise customers on what they’d need for whatever project they were planning. The money was good too, way more than he’d been expecting, and he might even get the chance at some overtime. By the end of the summer, he was gonna be positively rich! Well, if he didn’t spend it all on his girlfriend first. This was gonna be his best summer ever!
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Bikky, Carol, Ryo.
Rating: G
Word Count: 637
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Bikky is making plans for what he’ll do over the summer break from school.
Written For: My Mini Summer Bingo Prompt ‘Summer Job’ at fffc.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters.
With the end of term rapidly approaching and the blissful freedom of summer break looming ever larger on his personal horizon, Bikky was looking forward to not having to drag himself to school five days a week only to sit through hours of lessons learning things he’d probably never remember or even need. At long last there’d be enough time for him to enjoy all the fun things that got relegated to the weekends, and to school nights only after he’d finished all of his homework, the rest of the time.
He could play basketball with his friends whenever he wanted, weather permitting, or dust off his rollerblades and hit the park with Carol. They hadn’t done that in a while, what with exams and studying taking up so much of their time, but the biggest ordeal of the school year was almost over; just a couple more exams to go and then they could both give their overworked brains a well-deserved break from thinking. That would be a relief; his head was crammed so full of useless facts and figures it was miracle it hadn’t exploded. Then again, that might still happen; there was still time.
Rubbing tired eyes, Bikky flopped onto his back, ignoring the schoolbooks spread out on his bed, and went back to planning his summer. He smiled to himself as he thought about spending time with Carol. Maybe he could take his girl to the Central Park Zoo, or the movies to watch all the summer blockbusters, or the funfair out at Coney Island…
Of course, those things cost money, so he might not be able to afford for them do all of that. Although Ryo gave him a fair allowance, Bikky knew his foster father was far from rich and probably wouldn’t be able to give him extra. Even as a detective second grade his wages didn’t stretch to much in the way of luxuries. Most of what he earned went on paying rent and buying food, along with all the stuff Bikky needed for school; it was no wonder so many cops supplemented their income in other ways.
“I’ve got a summer job,” Carol told him excitedly a few days later. “It’s only mornings, five days a week, so I’ll still have the afternoons and weekends free, but it means I’ll be getting paid. It’ll help towards my living costs when I start college.”
That was a bit of a blow to Bikky’s plans for a summer of fun and no responsibilities other than the chores he did at home, but it made him think. Because he was so tall, he looked older than he was; maybe he could get a summer job too. That would take care of all his money worries; he and Carol would be able to go wherever they wanted, when they weren’t working.
With only a week of school left, he started asking around the next day, after classes, and soon found just what he needed: Mornings only, Monday to Friday, eight until noon, working in a hardware store. Better yet, it was less than three blocks from the boutique where Carol would be working, so they’d be able to meet up every day as soon as they got off work and have lunch together before deciding how to spend their afternoons. It would mean he’d still have to get up early every day, but he could live with that if it meant he was earning money.
The store’s owner was a bit dubious at first about hiring him, until Bikky proved he knew his way around tools. It was amazing how much he’d picked up from watching Dee do odd jobs around the apartment and at the orphanage, not to mention fixing Ryo’s car a few times. As well as stocking the shelves and checking the inventory to see what the store needed to order, he’d be able to advise customers on what they’d need for whatever project they were planning. The money was good too, way more than he’d been expecting, and he might even get the chance at some overtime. By the end of the summer, he was gonna be positively rich! Well, if he didn’t spend it all on his girlfriend first. This was gonna be his best summer ever!
The End