Teaser one

Atlas quietly took a long drag from his cigarette, smoke filtering into his lungs as he did so. The familiar burn of fire and menthol was apparent as he smoked; the feeling of stress melting away by the slight pain and nicotine that was now running through his system. Body and mind finally starting to relax as he slowly finished his third cigarette of that night. Cheap, ty Chesterfield's placed in the pocket of his striped shirt for easy access. 

The day's events warranting his excessive use of smoking that night, as well as the two shots of whiskey that he had already downed and the second bottle of Sam Adam's that he was going to start as soon as he drank the last bit of his first. Aaron Smith - well, Courtney was giving him saucy winks whenever he went to give Atlas a new drink, already knowing to keep them coming, or just feeling the need to cheer the slightly younger man up, knowing how tough the last couple of weeks had been on the man. Especially since three of his student employees had to quit, two of which had graduated college and were being placed in their new jobs, while the other one had to move, leaving Atlas down a few staff members.

Positions that he needed to fill in and quickly, but was unluckily at a standstill with the interviewing process. Applicants not meeting their background checks, something of which was painfully easy to pass, or just not having the right temperament for the job. And while Atlas wasn't looking for perfect people to fill the positions he needed, he would have at least liked a few candidates that didn't make him side eye them throughout the interviewing process, wondering why they even applied in the first place or wondering if he needed to bring out his martial arts skills just in case. And because of that, he couldn't help but be a little stressed about things.

Not only was he running himself ragged, but was running a few of his workers ragged as well with them having to fill irregular shifts until he found a couple of people that he could trust and depend on. But with the past two weeks of having no one that had the potential to work at Reckless Records show up, he was getting a little worried and while he was more than okay closing the shop for a couple of hours to a day to give his people a break, he couldn't do it forever. Bills definitely did not need to start pillowing up at this time as well, so he really hoped that he could find someone soon.

Taking another drag before reaching down to take a couple of sips of beer, he couldn't help but turn to Courtney and ask, voice gruff, "You know anyone that might be interested in a job?" 

Only for the purple-haired man to give him a frown before perking up a couple of seconds later when a sudden idea struck him, "Not that I know of, but have you tried reaching out to some of the local colleges and high schools around the area yet? Some of the art schools? Illinois Institute of Technology is also a short train ride away? And there are a few high schools in the area as well, have you checked those places out?"

"I've checked out a few, but not all of them yet... And I'm still waiting on Braden Hall to get back to me with his contact... Supposedly his family took him to Hawaii, but he's not supposed to be back until a few days from now..."

"Well, at least you have one person that's a maybe and if you try reaching out to some of the schools you haven't tried yet, I'm sure you'll find someone, so I wouldn't give up just yet. You still have time and all." Courtney quietly gave, reaching out to pat him on the arm, "You'll be fine honey, don't stress, alright?"

Looking up at the slightly older man, long purple hair reflecting pinks and blues in the light, making Courtney look a little bit more exotic than usual, Atlas couldn't help but reply, "Yes, I know... It's just right now, you know," before drinking the rest of his beer. Alcohol and nicotine making him feel a bit more relaxed than before and with Courtney looking quite nice in her dark tube top, "You busy later tonight?"

"For you stud, never."

"Thanks Court, much appreciated."

While Courtney could only give, "No problem, I'd take you and your y southern accent any day. A girl has needs you know."

In response, a small yet tired smile slowly appeared on Atlas' face as he softly laughed, "Never change."

"Of course not."  

Author's note

So if you can't tell, Aaron is a drag queen and his name's Courtney. And between him and Atlas, the two have a slightly odd relationship together that will occasionally show up as the story progresses. But anyway, this is a short teaser for you all that may or may not give you some ideas and how certain 80s influences will be written in. Like the Chesterfield cigarettes and the name dropping of Sam Adam's beer, which used to be one of the more popular brands of that time period. Other than that, I'm glad to see more and more people taking an interest in this fic and hopefully I'll be able to see a couple of more apps soon.