Check out the fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54027817

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Shuriken silently peeked around the corner of his bedroom's door, listening as he heard his siblings talk in low voices. They seemed... worried about something. "Rent is going up, we barely have enough bux as it is to get by." Slingshot sighed. Slingshot wasn't their blood related brother, but the other two demons thought of him as such. They had been roommates for years and with Sling not having any other relatives happily played the role of their brother.

"I know." Vinestaff mumbled a reply. "I can try to pick up a few more phights since healers get paid more, but I don't know if it'll be enough." She suggests.

"I'll join you on weekend phights and try to keep my cafe open for longer." Slingshot nods. "I hope we can make ends meet for next month." He worries, staring down at the bills laid on the table in front of the two.

Of course, Shuriken wasn't invited in on this conversation. He had always been considered too immature for topics such as bills. Slightly annoyed, the green demon silently retreated back into his room, staring at the window. Smirking to himself, he decided he'd take it upon himself to do as much work as he could to get more money for the three!

Quickly changing out of his comfy clothes and into something more suitable for work, Shuriken put on his gear and quietly opened his window. Taking a glance at his slightly open door to make sure neither of his siblings were watching, he jumped out. Shuri being the skillful ninja he was, made relatively no noise at this action, landing on both feet.

Taking a moment to pop his knuckles, the ninja began stalking around Thieve's Den, searching for any job opportunities. As he grappled from building to building, a large red sign caught his eye.

[NOW HIRING BARTENDERS!]

Shuriken had never even tried to make a drink, hell he only drank alcohol once in his life to begin with! But with no second thought, the confident demon strolled into the open bar.

Wasting no time, Shuriken approached the bartender. The pub was empty since it was still early in the evening, only a few people chattering with food instead of beer. "Hey, I saw the sign outside, are you still hiring?" Shuriken asked the bartender with a smile.

"Yes, we are! Are you interested in applying?" The bartender returned the smile, her gaze sweet as her pale pink twisted horns shimmer in the soft lighting.

"Yeah, I am. Are there any like.. background things I need? Experiences?" Shuriken asked.

"No experience needed! Our bar is fairly unpopularized so we have the resources to teach you everything you need to know. The only requirements are to be over the age of 21, and to have no background records of sexual assault, kidnapping, things like that."

"Alright, I'm interested! Where do I apply?" Shuriken beams at the opportunity. A small bar with personal training? It was too easy!

"I'll get the paper for you to fill out, you'll receive a call, email, or letter depending on your pick when and if the owner wants to give you an interview!" The bartender walked into the back, returning a few seconds later with a paper and pen. "Just fill it out and I'll take care of the rest!" She chirps, handing them to Shuri.

Without missing a beat, Shuriken quickly started to fill out the paper. It was basic things like his name, address, phone number... However, one question stood out to him. "Have you ever diddled in the use of black magic? If not, would you ever diddle in the use of black magic?" Shuriken wrinkled his nose in confusion, looking at the sweet-scented bartender.

She giggled, "the owner is a little weird sometimes!" She smiles. "He claims he's some sort of dark wizard, but really he's just an old drunk, nothing harmless! I recommend saying no to both, otherwise he'll waste your time trying to teach you how to turn a mouse into a rabbit!"

"I'd hate to sit through that!" Shuriken exclaims, quickly answering the question with writing. Finishing up the application, he puts his pen down. "Done!"

"Alright, I expect you'll get a..." She squints at the paper, seeing which communication option Shuriken picked. "A text in 1-3 days!"

"Alright, well I'll be on my way then, thank you!" Shuriken smiled, giving a friendly wave as he left the pub. Checking the time at 2:14pm, he quickly made his way back towards his home, hoping his siblings hadn't noticed his absence.

Grappling up to his window, Shuriken silently jumped through, only to see Vinestaff sitting on his bed, waiting for him. "And where have you been?" She asks, arms crossed.

"Vine!" Shuri jumps at the sound of his sister's voice. "Why are you in my room?"

"Why are you sneaking out again?"

"I'm a grown adult, I don't have to ask to leave the house."

Vinestaff sighs, pinching the skin between her eyes. "You're right, Shuri." They've had this argument too many times for her to care. "Sling and I just worry about you whenever you go missing, at least send one of us a text." She looks into her brother's eyes. Shuriken couldn't help but notice the worry.

"I know, but I'm not a kid anymore, Vine! I can take care of myself." The ninja takes his phone out. "I'm going to sign up for today's phight." He announces, quickly going to the app to do so.

"Alright, Shuri." Vinestaff stands up, walking towards the door. "Come straight home after, we both know you always overestimate your abilities and get hurt after phights." She leaves the room.

"Yeah yeah." Shuri rolls his eyes, now being booked for the 3pm phight at the Bread Factory. "Po-tay-to po-taut-o!" Still having all of his equipment, Shuri closed his window, leaving his room and walking through the house. He noticed Slingshot sitting on the couch. "Hey, Sling." He greeted casually.

"You going somewhere? I thought I just heard you get back." Slingshot asked, looking at the green phighter as he headed towards the door.

"Yeah, I just went out for a walk, now I'm going to a phight. Thought I should come tell you or Vine first since you're always worried about where I am!" Shuriken's voice had a bit of a scoff to it.

"Alright man, be careful. Skate told me Katana and Sword were going to be there." Sling nodded, laying down on his back.

"Yeah yeah, I'll be back later." Shuri took his leave, exiting the house again. Taking out his grapple, he used it to give him boosts throughout his 'walking' to the phight.

Arriving there at 2:51, Shuriken took a moment to grab a bottle of water left out for the phighters, making sure he was hydrated and ready for the phight.

At 2:55, the colors of his horns and clothes changed, going from grays and greens to shades of red. Looking around, he examined his team. Sword, Medkit, Hyperlaser, and Skateboard. Not a bad group.

Turning to look at the blues, he recalled the various phighters he's seen a multitude of times. Katana, Boombox, Rocket, Subspace, and Ban Hammer. Their team wasn't bad either, but lacked a good support like Medkit, and speed for that matter. It looked like this phight would be a walk in the park!

Growling with annoyance, Shuriken yelled out to use his phinisher, "TIME TO PICK UP THE PACE!"

Nodding a quick thanks at Medkit who emptied out his gun on Shuriken to heal him, the ninja turned his attention back to the point. Using his phinsher, he allowed himself to be in arms length of Katana, the older demon getting slashed at mercilessly with his spinning gears. "Sorry, Katana!" Shuriken chimed as his older neighbor burst into white dust to respawn.

Sending the rest of his phinisher to hit Rocket who was shooting at Sword, the blue phighter burst into white just as the samurai had done. "Too easy!" Shuri exclaims, quickly jumping away as he heard a faint beeping from behind him, just in time to dodge one of Subspace's tripmines.

Just as the scientist had appeared behind Shuriken, calling out his phinisher, a loud bell rang out. All the phighters stopped as Shuriken angrily tried to fight Subspace's phinisher, the phight had ended. "Damn you, Subspace! Always pulling this at the end!" Shuriken growled, soon falling to the floor after the phinisher was done.

The demon looked at him. "Cry about it."

Shuriken rolled his eyes, standing as he went to go see the scores. His team had won! Smirking, he saw himself second on the leaderboard, only being two kills behind Sword. "Nice!" He exclaimed, brushing off his worn clothes.

"Shuriken, let me see your arm." Shuriken turned to face who had spoken, only to be met by Medkit.

"Alright, doc!" The green demon held out his arm for the doctor to examine, watching as the teal man took bandages out of his gear, wrapping them around a particularly bad slash he had gotten from Katana.

"Do you have any other wounds that I cannot see?" Medkit asked, spinning Shuriken around by his shoulders to get a full view of the younger demon.

"Nope! I didn't even die once!" Shuriken boasted. "Katana only scraped me a few times, but nothing that requires any fancy care."

"If you insist. You're free to go." Medkit takes his leave, going to check over the other phighters. It was always the supports' job to check and make sure no one was seriously injured after the phight.

Happily walking out of the factory, Shuriken checked his bank balance on his phone. "200 bux from that? Nice!" He quietly cheered to himself. 200 was a lot for a simple phight like that, the average was usually 50-100.

Waiting outside for a moment, Shuriken seen Katana leave the factory, having a few bandages on his arms. "Katana!" Shuriken yelled, bouncing over to him. "You headed home?"

"Yes, I am. You did good, Shuriken, you injured me quite well in the phight." Katana nodded. Shuri felt himself warm with pride at the samurai's praise. Katana's words were always delicate, he almost never gave praises.

"Thanks!" The green ninja smiled. "Mind if I walk with you? I'm in a mood to take things slow right now."

"I do not mind the company." Katana agreed, the two having a steady and even pace. "I have not spoken to you or your siblings recently, what have you been up to?"

"Not much, just same ol' same ol'!" Shuriken answers. "Butttt!" He drags out, "I do have a secret! I'll tell you if you promise not to share." He looks up at the taller demon.

"Hm, if you trust me with the information, I have no plans on repeating it to anyone else. What could be this secret, Shuriken?" Shuri didn't need to see the red demon's face to know he was eyeing him with curiosity.

"Welllll! I'm getting another job. I applied for it today and from the girl I talked to, it seemed like I had a good chance at getting hired. Money been a bit tight, so I thought I'd surprise Sling 'n Vine with some extra bux." Shuri shared his intentions with the wiser demon.

"That is kind of you, Shuriken. Where might this occupation reside?"

"At some local bar in Thieve's Den. I forgot the name, but it was pretty laid back. Looked pretty though, it was like.. a soft but dark brown, like a muted brown I guess? With a lot of silver accents." The green ninja tried to think of the name, but failed. "The girl said I didn't require any experience, and it seemed like they didn't have much business anyways, so I get to be trained there."

"I believe I know which bar you are talking about. Floral Tips?" Katana questions.

"Yeah, that's it! I guess you know which place I'm talkin' about."

"Indeed I do. I often go there with Hyperlaser, usually once every two weeks." The samurai nods. "I hope to assume I will see you there next time I visit?"

"Hopefully! I was told I'd get a call in 'round 1-3 days. I'm lookin' forwards to it! Might try to take a later shift if I can so I can help with Sling's cafe a bit more."

"Careful not to overwork yourself, Shuriken. You're young and energetic, but you too have your limits." The wiser demon advised.

"Yeah yeah, I know! I won't overwork myself, but I can manage two jobs! Plus phights whenever I'm free. I'll still take care of myself, you know I can't go a day without looking as handsome as I do right now!~" Shuriken chimes, sassily flipping his shoulder-length hair like the main bitch he is.

"Of course." Katana sighed a chuckle. "You are shaping well, from the lengths you've grown, I am proud of you, Shuriken."

"Proud of me? For what? I'm just helpin' out my siblings!" Shuriken's chest swelled up with pride, his tail flicking.

"Yes, and that is something to be proud of." Katana's voice was full of pride like a father watching his son win his first phight.

"Well thanks, old man!" Shuriken playfully put his hand on Katana's shoulder, having to reach up to do so. "I know I'm amazing!"

--♡--

Yawning, Shuriken sat up. Looking towards his nightstand at the ringing phone that woke him, he groggily picked it up, answering the call without checking who it was. "Hello?" He yawned again. He didn't even know what time it was.

"Hello! Is this Shuriken?" A voice came from the other side. It was gruff with age.

"Yes, this is he. Who's this?" Shuriken began to wake up more, coming to his senses. He glanced at the clock. 6:02am.

"My name is Cosmos, you applied for a job at my bar."

"Oh, yes, I did apply to a bar." Shuriken remembers the application he did. It had been two days ago.

"Are you free for an interview at 10am today?" The old man asks.

"Yeah, sure, I'm free. I'll be there." Rubbing the last bit of sleep from his eyes, Shuriken stood up. "However, I thought I was going to receive a text instead of a call."

"They're the same thing! Calling is easier when you've got big hands like me." The man huffed out a chuckle. "I'll see you then, Shuriken." Before the green ninja could reply a farewell, the man hung up.

Slingshot's head peeked into the room. "Shuri?"

"Huh?" Shuriken looked over at his brother. "What?"

"You're never awake at this time, why are you up?" He asks, eyes narrowing.

"Just got a call from someone, I gotta help em out at 10. Take this as my notice of me leaving." Shuriken tossed his phone onto his bed. "Call woke me up. You gonna go open your cafe soon?"

"Yeah, I was about to leave to go prep for the day." Slingshot answered, the cat demon entering the room fully to talk.

"If you wait I'll take a quick shower and go help ya." Shuriken offered, walking over to his closet to pick out clothes for the day.

"Really?" The blue demon looked surprised.

"Yeah? I offered it, didn't I?" Shuriken looked back at him, now holding his chosen clothes.

Slingshot narrowed his eyes again. "Alright, I won't turn down help. Just be quick, I want to leave before 6." The cat demon flicked his tail, leaving the room.

Shuriken shrugged, quickly making his way to the bathroom to shower.

Soon fully dressed and ready for the day, Shuriken met Slingshot in the living room. "Come on, weirdo. We gotta get goin'." Sling rushed the green demon, grabbing his wrist and basically dragging him out of the house.

"I'd race you, but I can't ruin my perfect hair with wind right now!" Shuriken batted his eyes, running his fingers through his purposefully messy styled hair.

"As if! Your head looks like a rat's nest!" Slingshot teases. Their pace was fast, trying to get to the cafe as soon as possible so they would have the most prep time.

"Oh by the way, I have to leave around 9:40 or so, I gotta come back to Thieve's Den for somethin' at 10." Shuri informs his brother. "I'll come back later to help more if I get the chance. What time are you closing today?"

"Well, with the new hours I just did yesterday, I open at 9 and close at 9. 12 hour shift!" Sling explains with a sigh. "Would you be willing to help me out more? I don't think I can manage 12 hours every day."

"Yeah of course, I'll let you know with more specifics soon. I'm sure I can take a couple of hours by myself though." Shuriken promises.

"Thanks, Shuri." Sling smiles.

With the cafe now being open, Shuri had helped prepare everything from refilling all the napkin holders to baking some of the more popular morning items. Turning on the LED open sign, Shuri opened the door, using a custom-made door stopper to keep it open. "There!" Shuri chimed, walking back inside to sit on the counter. "All ready for the day." He smiled to his brother.

"Thanks, Shuri! You've been a lot of help." Slingshot returns the smile. "Any reason why you've been so helpy recently?"

"No reason, I just have nothing else to do." Shuriken shrugged. "Might as well help out if I'm gonna be bored regardless."

"Makes sense, I guess." Sling nods. "But really, thanks Shuri. I appreciate it a lot."

"It's no problem, Sling." Seeing how genuine his brother was thanking him, Shuriken made a mental note to help out more, even if he dreaded the tasks.

A customer walking in caused Sling and Shuri both to look over. Shuri quickly got off the counter. "I'll take this one." He told his brother, lightly pushing him to the side.

"Alright, alright!" Slingshot rolled his eyes, going to the back to grab something.

"Hey, welcome to Slingshot's Cafe! Let me know when you'd like to order." Shuriken greeted the customer, smiling.

--♡--

Soon, Shuriken had left the cafe to rush back to Thieve's Den for his interview. Arriving right at 9:59, Shuriken quickly ruffled any mess out of his hair, walking in. He instantly spotted the same bar tender from last time. "Hi!" He greeted her.

"Hello! You're here for the interview, right?" She asks to confirm, Shuriken nodding in response. "Right back here, follow me." She jerked her head for Shuriken to follow, walking down a hall into the back.

Shuriken followed her casually. He was confident in his ability to pass the interview, he had no reason to be anxious. Now stepping through a door, Shuriken is met with a smaller room, an old gruff 'n fat man sitting behind a desk. "You must be Shuriken! Take a seat, boy." From the voice, Shuriken could tell it was the same man from the phone, Cosmos.

"It's nice to meet you." Shuriken sits down, holding out his hand for a handshake, which the older man returns.

"So, Shuriken, why do you want this job?" Cosmos asks, eyeing the younger boy.

"Me and my siblings need the money, rent is getting higher. This is the first place I found that was hiring." Shuriken answers honestly. "I'm roommates with my siblings and I'd like to increase how much I'm contributing to rent and groceries."

"A family man, ey?" Cosmos smiles, showing off his rotting teeth. "I like that, a nice honest answer." He nods. "Have you got any experience?"

"Nope! I've only ever even had drinks once in my life!" Shuriken boasts of his sober-ness.

"Welp kid." Cosmos leans back in his chair, making it creak in protest at holding up his weight. "I'll tell ya what. Y're the only one who came interested in weeks, so I reckon we'll give ya a shot."

"So I got the job?"

"Ye'uh. We gotta get ya a uniform first." Cosmos nods. "I reckon I'll get little Adoncia out there to get y're sizes." He motions towards the door. "Her's the nice girl ya done talked to. Come back when you're done and I'll have y're schedule done."

"Yes sir!" Shuriken cheerfully stands, leaving to go find the bartender from before.

--♡--

Now walking home, Shuriken reviews his schedule. He has training every night for the next week, 10pm-3am. He had requested night shifts which Cosmos happily agreed to. With this schedule, Shuriken could help his siblings throughout the day, attend phights, and still get around 2 hours of sleep every night! After his training, his schedule would be 6 days a week with the same times. He was happy with this schedule.

Walking through the door, Shuriken headed straight to his room, hanging up the uniform he had been given. "What was that?" Shuriken jumped at the voice, turning to see his sister.

"What do you mean?" Shuri asks, tilting his head.

"You just brought home clothes, why?" Vinestaff leans against the wall suspiciously.

"Am I not allowed to buy clothes? I got a bit of extra cash from a phight, wanted to buy myself somethin'." The lie comes out naturally. Shuriken was always a good liar!

"They're a bit... out of your style." The pink healer's eyes narrow. Why would Shuriken buy anything semi-formal?

"I just wanted to try something new!" Shuriken rolls his eyes. "Am I not allowed to dress myself too now?" He scoffs.

"You've just been acting differently, Shuri." Vine walks over, pulling Shuriken into a hug. "Me and Sling have been worried about you."

"How exactly have I been acting differently?" Shuriken asks, looking up at his sister as he returns the hug.

"You've been more helpful, more tired, more aggravated." Vinestaff repeats her observations.

"So? I've just been bored lately! Might as well help out if I'm gonna be bored regardless." Shuriken rolls his eyes. "Didn't know it was an issue."

"It's not an issue, just unlike you." Vinestaff ruffles her brother's hair before stepping away. "I have to leave soon, I'm in a phight."

"Alright, I'll see ya later, Vine." Shuri turns away, looking at his clock as Vine leaves the room. It was only around 11:30, near lunch rush. Quickly opening his window to jump out of it, the ninja rushes to Crossroads.

"Hey Sling!" Shuri greets as he hops over the counter instead of using the gate divider. He quickly grabs his uniform, rushing to the bathroom to change.

"Shuri?" Sling pokes his head out of the back. He hadn't been expecting help from the ninja again. Too busy to care, Slingshot shrugged his shoulders, going back to making the order he was working on.

Coming out in a blue striped shirt with rolled up sleeves, white pants, and a blue visor, Shuriken popped into the back to look at his brother. "I'm free for the rest of today so I'll help out. Need any help back here or should I go take orders?"

"Thanks, Shuri. Go take orders, I'm almost done with this one." Slingshot doesn't look up from the beverage he was preparing.

Nodding, Shuri walked back to the front, standing behind the register as he cheerfully greeted the small group of demons waiting.

--♡--

By now, Shuriken was bored out of his mind. And hungry. He had forgotten to eat today. Looking over at Slingshot who was equally as bored and tired, he spoke, "Sling maybe we should take a 10 minute lunch break. You look like you're about to collapse and I haven't eaten today."

"A customer could come in, Shuri. There's a new order every few minutes, we can't just leave!" Slingshot protests, sighing as he sits on the floor behind the counter.

"Fine." The green ninja rolled his eyes. "How about you take a break, go for a walk, get me something to eat, and then just take a breather?"

"I can't leave you to run the cafe alone, even for a few minutes." Slingshot leans his head back, looking up at his non-blood brother.

"I'll be fine, just go take a break, Sling. And I'll pay you back for lunch."

Slingshot groans and stands up again. "Fine." He takes off his apron and visor, leaving them hanging on a rack. "I'll be back in 10."

"Take your time, Sling!" Shuriken chimes as the cat demon leaves the cafe. Sitting on a stool behind the register, Shuriken waited for the next customer.

He silently cursed himself for his timing as a group of 5 demons entered the cafe. Shuri recognized them, one being his sister. Vinestaff, Katana, Hyperlaser, Boombox, and Skateboard all entered, chattering amongst themselves.

Vinestaff quickened her pace and went behind the counter to give Shuriken a quick hug. "Where's Sling?" She asks.

"10 minute break." Shuriken replies. "You won the phight?"

"Yeah, I told them I was going to work and wouldn't be joining their small victory party, so they decided to follow me." Vinestaff explains, grabbing her uniform, starting to walk to the bathroom, only to be pulled back by Shuriken's hand on her shoulder.

"Take a breather, you're still sweaty from the phight. Cool off a bit and then you can come work, I got everything handled for now. Take your victory with the team." Shuriken takes the uniform from her, hanging it back up.

Vinestaff sighed dramatically. "Fine." She walked back around the counter, joining her group on the other side.

Shuriken smiled. "Who's first?" He asked, looking at the register's screen.

"Me, me, I'm first!" Skateboard pushed past the other demons. "I got MVP, it's my turn to be first." He boasts, taking a glance over the menu. "Let me get uhh.. Two glazed donuts and a strawberry shake!" The red demon decides, Shuriken quickly tapping in the order, looking up for the next phighter to go.

"Heyy, I was gonna get that exact order!" Boombox growls, grabbing Skateboard and shaking him. "I want the same thing!" He tells Shuriken, who taps the order in. Shuriken smirks as he sees Hyperlaser's hand reach out and push the Playgrounders aside, motioning for Katana to go next as the two younger demons continue their bickering to the side.

Soon Shuriken has taken all of their orders. Vinestaff shot him a reassuring look as he groaned at the amount. "Your items will be out soon." He tells the group as they go sit down, slowly trudging to the back to cook.

Despite his nature in hating the act of cooking, Shuriken had done the task fairly quickly with good quality. Setting all of the dishes on a tray, the demon walked out of the back, carrying it to the table where the phighters sat. He passed out the dishes to their respective owners, looking at his sister. "Sling should be back soon if you were wondering." He lets her know. Vine always liked knowing where her brothers were.

"Alright, thanks Shuri!" She smiled, sipping on the drink she ordered for herself. "I'll be there to help you soon."

"Take your time, I'm all good." With a nod, Shuriken walks away, sitting back at the register.

--♡--

After a long day of work, Shuriken had passed out asleep as soon as the siblings got home. Alarm now blaring in his ears, the green ninja grumbles as he sits up and turns it off. Yawning, he got up to grab his bartending uniform, putting it in a bag he had. He then grabbed his uniform for Sling's Cafe, walking into the bathroom to shower.

Now looking up into the water, he sighed, feeling his muscles relax. He hadn't been so work-dedicated in years, but he didn't mind helping out his siblings. He realized how selfish he had been most of his life and decided then and there that he'd change the fact.

Now making breakfast and ready for the day, Slingshot and Vinestaff stumble into the kitchen. "Shuri?" Sling yawns, rubbing his eyes. They had just woken up at 5:30.

"Mornin', how'd you sleep?" Shuriken greets them both, flipping a pancake he was cooking.

"Why are you up and ready? And cooking?" Vinestaff asks, confused. Slingshot's face matched hers, but had a glint of worry.

"Just felt like it." Shuriken shrugged, not looking up from his task of cooking. "You two go get ready, breakfast will be done pretty soon.

Slingshot and Vinestaff look at each other for a second, "..alright then." The blue demon shrugs, walking off to go get dressed. Vinestaff remained where she was.

"Shuriken, are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" The green demon glances over at his sister.

Vine stared for a moment, her pink eyes full of concern. "..Nevermind, I'll go get dressed." She sighs, walking down the hallway.

Finishing up the cooking, Shuriken plates the pancakes, setting them on the table. He turns to the unwashed dishes and wrinkles his nose. I'll do those later. He decides, sitting in his respective spot at the table, waiting for his siblings so he can eat.

Slingshot soon comes in and joins him at the table, grabbing the glass of milk Shuriken had prepared for him, sipping it. "What's up with you, Shuri?"

"Why do you both keep asking me that? Am I not allowed to do something nice for my siblings?" Shuriken scoffed, crossing his arms.

"We appreciate it, really, thank you, but it's just so... out of the blue." Slingshot shrugs.

"I just felt like doing it." Shuriken leans his head on his palm, propped up with his elbow.

"Well, thank you, Shuriken." Slingshot smiles as Vinestaff joins them at the table, dressed in her phight clothes.

"Another phight?" Shuriken asks, glancing at her.

"Yeah, I like phighting." Vintestaff shrugs.

"Sling, I can help with the cafe all day today by the way." Shuriken glances at the blue demon before taking a bite of his pancakes.

Slingshot nods, "alright, thanks Shuri."

--♡--

Work at Sling's cafe was the same as any other day, nothing too special happened, however he did see and serve Adonica, his new co-worker. Slingshot teased him whenever the pastel pink demon had said, "see you later," to Shuri, assuming that his brother had found himself a date! Shuriken quickly got defensive over the assumption, Sling only teasing him more.

Shuriken sighed at the thought. His siblings always teased him about his love life, as Shuri never had a lover, or even a crush they knew of. The ninja just never really thought about having a romantic partner, nor did it spark his interest.

Soon reaching the pub, Shuriken greets Adonica who was sitting behind the counter, on her phone. He quickly makes his way to the bathroom, hurriedly changing from his cafe uniform into his bartending uniform. Stuffing the blue and white attire into his bag, he walked out. "Hey, is there anywhere I can keep my bag? I don't really have time to change at home between jobs." Shuriken asked Adonica.

"Yeah, employee lockers are over here." She leads him to a door in the back, Shuriken recognized it from beside Cosmos's office.

"Thanks!" Shuriken set his back down, checking the time. He was still a bit early. He walks back out to the main area with Adonica, simply sitting on a stool and scrolling through social media on his phone to pass time.

"Sooo..." Adonica sits beside him. "Tell me about yourself, Shuriken!" She starts a conversation.

"Oh uh," Shuriken puts his phone down. "I'm 22, a trained ninja, and I was named one of the top phighters last year." The green ninja shrugs.

"Are you an official phighter?" The pink demon asks, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, so are both of my siblings, Vinestaff and Slingshot." Shuriken smiles nervously.

"Say, do you happen to be taken?" Adonica straightens her posture.

"No, I'm not really into all of that lovey-dovey stuff." In an attempt to get the attention off of his life, Shuriken asks, "what about you? Tell me about yourself."

"Oh, well, my name's Adonica, the owner, Cosmos, is my uncle, I'm currently single, I'm 21, and I'm a virgin!" The pink demon chimes. Shuriken was confused as to why she slid that last fact in her introduction, but shrugged it off.

"Do you.. have any hobbies?" Shuriken asked awkwardly.

"I like watching phights! But I haven't been able to watch any in a few years. My uncle has been making me work here full time for.. 3 years now." Adonica sighs. "Other than that, I guess I just like going on walks."

"Oh, my neighbor loves walks. I like to stalk him sometimes, it's funny." Shuriken snickers at memories of him scaring Katana after stalking behind him on a nature walk.

After a while of chatting, Shuriken checked the time. "Oh look, my time has officially started." He chimes as the clock on his phone changed to 10:00."

Adonica stood, grabbing Shuriken's wrist to pull him behind the counter. "I'll start training you then!" She chirps, reaching down and grabbing a book from the inside of the counter. "Basics, basics.." She muttered, opening the book and flipping through the first few pages. "You don't really need a tour, this place is small, you can explore it yourself." She mentally checked off the list that the book had. "Met the employees, know your hours... Here, learn your tools!"

Adonica grabbed a few items that Shuriken didn't know the purpose for. The smaller demon then began to teach Shuriken the basics of bartending.

--♡--

The next few days went by pretty quickly, Shuriken working both jobs and hitting a few phights throughout the day with the cafe was empty. Despite him getting less than 2 hours of sleep for the past week, he remained high-energy, only stifling yawns every time he spoke. Now it was around midnight and he was working his bartending shift. Even if Shuriken was still slow at making drinks, he could make all of them on the menu and that was good enough for the drunks.

Waiting for another wasted demon to order a drink, Shuriken noticed the door opening. In walked two phighters he recognized, Katana and Hyperlaser. Katana obviously spotted him as he walked over, sitting on a stool right in front of the younger ninja. "Greetings, Shuriken. I see you got the job."

"I did! I'm not that fast yes but- yawn -I can make all the drinks on the menu!" The green demon smiled. "Can I get you two anything?"

"You look rather tired, Shuriken. I hope you aren't neglecting your personal needs with this double life." Katana ignores the question of ordering something, worrying over his neighbor's health.

"Oh I'm fine, my body just needs to get used to doin' work!" Shuri laughs it off. "Now, can I get you anything?"

Katana glances at Hyperlaser who says nothing, "not right now." Katana replies to Shuriken's question. "If I might add, you look nice in your uniform."

Shuriken looks like he's about to burst with pride. "I know! But then again, I look good in everything!" He hears a call from the back, "I'll be back, someone's callin' me." He excused himself, walking to where he heard the call from; Cosmos's office. "Hey, you called?"

"Yeah. I seen y'er quick with ya hands." Cosmos nods. "Think ya could do a few tricks while makin' drinks?" The old man asks.

"I could try, but what kind of tricks specifically?" Shuriken asks. "And why?"

"Anythin' that attracts the eye. It'll get us more traction if we got a skilled 'tender. Demons like that stuff." The old man coughs. "Also, ya should learn where each drink is, you'll be quicker."

"Yeah, sorry, I'm starting to get the hang of it, I just don't want to accidentally mess up a drink." Shuriken apologizes. "I'll be quicker once I grow confidence in where things are placed."

"A'ight, well that was all I needed to ask. Y'er can go back to y'er job now."

"Alright!" Shuriken then leaves the office, going back to the bar where Katana and Hyperlaser are, chatting. Saying nothing, Shuriken grabs an empty bottle and fills it with water, putting a cork in it. He gives it a few experimental tosses in the air, catching it to get the feel of the weight.

"What are you doing?" Hyperlaser asks, confused at the demon's actions.

"Oh, the boss said he wanted me to try out tricks for more traction or somethin', so I'm just tryna get the feel for it." Shuriken replies, taking one of his throwing stars from his belt. He always kept them on him. Tossing the bottle high in the air, he threw one of the stars.

The star caught the cork of the bottle, pulling it out and stabbing it into the wall at a quick speed. Shuriken rapidly grabbed the bottle of water before any spilled, the entire trick being less than two seconds long.

"That was pretty impressive, Shuriken." Katana speaks, watching him.

"Thanks!" Shuriken smiles, grabbing his star and taking the cork off, replugging the bottle of water. "I want to try to use my gears in these tricks."

"That could be a good show if you manage." Hyperlaser comments, "ninja bartender uses anything but his hands to open bottles! I can imagine the headlines now."

Shuriken chuckled a bit. "Right now I want to keep this gig low, Vine 'n Sling don't know about it."

"Maybe that's why they've been looking so worried lately." Katana notes, "you should tell them soon."

"I will after I get my next check, I don't think I could go another week givin' em random bux with no explanation." Shuriken sighed. His siblings were probably going to fuss over his overworked schedule.

"It must be hard working in the cafe and pub, right?" Hyperlaser asks. "From the bags under your eyes, you seem to sleep as much as Subspace, which isn't a lot."

Shuriken eyed the mercenary. "I get to pick my hours at the cafe, as long as I work at least 15 hours a week." He shrugs, "I'm fine right now."

"What is your current schedule like?" The red demon asks.

"I get up at 5, work at the cafe from 6 'till 9, come here and work from 10-3, then I go home and sleep. I don't have work here on Tuesdays though so last Tuesday I went for a night phight." Shuriken lays out the schedule of his day.

"Shuriken, are you sure you are not overworking yourself?" Concern tore through the samurai's voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. If I ever need a break, I'll just take a day off from the cafe, it's fine." Shuriken rolled his eyes. "Now let me do my job and get you something to drink."

Katana's and Hyperlaser's gazes lingered on the ninja for a few moments before Hyperlaser sighed. "Fuck, just give me the house special so you shut up about doing your job." The mercenary scoffed.

"House special..." Shuriken looked at the menu. Every week they had a new house special. Nothing was really special about it, it was just a drink they picked at random. "Old fashioned, okay." He quickly grabs the stuff he needs, checking the how-to book quickly to double check he didn't miss anything.

Quickly making the drink, he served it to Hyperlaser. The mercenary didn't even look at it. "Too many workaholics in this world." The blue demon grumbles.

"You too have overworking habits, Hyper." Katana chimes.

"I don't do it on purpose, 'Tana. Some targets just need more done than others." Hyper shrugs. Shuriken always manages to forget Hyperlaser has one of the highest kill counts in all of Crossroads. It kind of intimidated him.

--♡--

"Here." Shuriken placed a stack of bux on the table where Sling and Vine were sitting. It was their usual budgeting day of every two weeks. The two looked stunned for a second before looking up at the green ninja who was casually sucking a lollipop.

"Where did you get this?" Slingshot asked immediately. "Did you steal from some rich person?"

"No." Shuri shrugged. "I haven't stolen in a while, none of that's stolen."

"Then how did you get this much money?" Vinestaff asked, grabbing the stack and flipping through it, counting. Shuriken already knew the exact amount of bux. 28,110.

"Eh, just some gig." Shuriken yawned, suddenly aware of how tired he was. Luckily today was Tuesday and Sling had decided against opening the cafe today.

"What gig?" Slingshot demanded. "I swear if all of this is stolen and you get us in serious trou-" "It's not stolen!" Shuriken cuts the cat demon off.

"I worked for it, I picked up another job, it pays well." He admits, taking the lollipop out of his mouth with one hand on his hip.

"Really? You, the biggest procrastinator in all of Crossroads got a second job?" Slingshot laughed at the idea.

"Hell yeah I did! You really thought I'd buy some formal ass clothes on my own?" He glances at Vinestaff. "That's my uniform, I'm a bartender."

"A BARTENDER?" Vinestaff stares at him. "Why haven't you told us any of this? And when do you even work?"

"I work 10-3 durin' nights, I go there right after the cafe closes. I wanted it to be a surprise." Shuriken shrugs. "Only Katana knew. And Hyperlaser I guess, he seen me on shift."

Sling's mouth was wide open as the two stared at the green demon.

"What?" Shuriken asked.

"So you've been going to sleep past 3 and waking up at 5?" Vinestaff questions her brother.

"Yeah, I usually get home around like 3:05. I have Tuesdays off though, usually I go for a night phight." Shuriken nods, putting his lollipop back in his mouth.

"You're not working from 6 anymore." Slingshot growls. "You can come in at 12 to work." He decides.

"Why? I was starting to like my schedule, man!" Shuriken whines, sitting down in the empty chair at the table with his siblings.

"No wonder you've been looking so sickly! You're sleep deprived!" Vinestaff sighs. "You need proper sleep, Shuriken, especially if you're going to be working multiple jobs, including phights." She crosses her arms.

"You're just being dramatic, my schedule is fine! I might need to work overtime soon at the bar though. It's been gainin' a good bit of traction, don't want to let Adonica deal with the 4-6 drunks."

"Who's Adonica?" Slingshot asks.

"Y'know that girl you was teasin' me about when she said she'd see me later? Pastel pink, twisty horns? That was her, she's my co-worker." The green demon explains.

"How did you even get this much money? It's like 20k!" Vinestaff asks, still in shock at the sheer amount.

"MVP in night phights earn a good 600. I told you, my job pays well, especially since I already got a raise from attractin' more customers on top of doin' the busiest shift alone, and tips. Should be 28k there."

"TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND BUX?" Slingshot yells in disbelief.

"Uh, yeah, that's what I said."

"How did you manage two jobs, phights, your chores, and doing extra things like making breakfast on TWO HOURS of sleep for SFOTH knows how long?!" Vinestaff huffs.

"I dunno, I guess I have a low sleep tolerance from my childhood insomnia." Shuriken shrugs as if this was the most casual thing ever. "I don't see why there's a problem."

"The problem is you overworking yourself, Shuri. Why did you even get a second job?" Slingshot asks his brother, worry breaking through his eyes.

"I heard you two saying we barely had enough money to make ends meet, so I decided to help out a bit." The demon yawns again. "I have more if that's not enough, I don't know how expensive living is. That was only like half my check."

"HALF? ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU MADE OVER FIFTY THOUSAND BUX IN A FEW WEEKS?" Vinestaff yells.

"Yah." Shuriken bites his lollipop.

Sling and Vine look at each other before Vinestaff starts to cry, standing up and hugging her brother. "Why are you crying?" Shuriken asked in panic, quickly standing to meet Vine's grasp, hugging her back in a poor comfort attempt.

"Shuri, we were debating on moving to a smaller apartment from how tight money has been, you don't know how much this changed our lives." Vinestaff sobs, gripping her brother tightly. "With the way rent has been going up, we wouldn't have been able to afford this month's without skipping meals."

Slingshot stands to join the hug, gripping his brother tightly. "Thank you so much, Shuriken." He thanks, unable to keep his own eyes from tearing up. "You really have done so much for us these past few weeks."

"It's nothing, why are you both crying?! All I did was help out!" Shuriken was a bit embarrassed at his siblings' praises.

Neither of them replied, only sobbed while hugging the demon. Shuriken let out a loud, dramatic sigh, smiling.

If this was the reaction he got from helping out, he sure as hell wouldn't mind giving up his entire body, mind and soul for it. Seeing his siblings so happy and pleased with him was probably the best feeling he's ever felt.

__ 

NOW THAT WAS A WHOLESOME FIC! <3

Thanks to the person who pointed out the mistake I made :3