malfunction | shie hassaikai x reader

prologue

You stared at the ad in the corner of the newspaper, drawn to it by the colorful confetti and swirls that swam in it like a vibrant ocean of color. White, bolded numbers outlined in black at the bottom told you of your new future — your new reality. Or, perhaps to be less dramatic: your new job.

Hari Kurono's Pizzeria. A shift there every night, 5 days a week: normal working days. Each hour provided $9 dollars, which was a bit low — and definitely wouldn't please your parents — but it was better than nothing. After all, the other jobs you had been watching had been taken away already; taken by someone who had been a little faster than you.

Ah. But the working hours were unusual, upon further inspection. They were... late at night. Not the "oh, just a few hours into midnight" sort of late — it was the "holy crap, how am I going to survive in the morning" kind of late.

You were to report to the night shift at 12 am, sit in an office, and watch some animatronics over cameras until 6 am. From the sound of it, it'd be a breeze. Besides, you had to admit: from one glance at the handsome, white-haired animatronic with bear ears, a top hat, and a microphone in hand — you certainly wouldn't mind watching over them...

With phone in hand, you dialed the number at the bottom.

One ring. Two rings. At the third ring, you had started to wonder if the whole thing was a scam for poor unsuspecting adults like yourself, before the line picked up.

Click.

"Hello?" you said awkwardly into your phone, waiting hesitantly for any sign of life on the other end.

It was dead silent, and you honestly felt like an idiot. A whole ten seconds went by without even the tiniest crackle of static, and you sighed, exasperated. There went your potential job. Now what were you going to do?

You were about to hang up before a rough voice spoke through the speaker. The voice sounded masculine, and the owner of it seemed to be young — at least, that's what you thought.

"Aye, Hari Kurono's Pizzeria here, how may I help you?" the words were somewhat polite, but the tone was disgruntled. You could hear someone shouting indistinctly in the background, the tones strained and scratchy.

You caught the words 'Dabi' and 'burnt-head looking ass' in person's yelling, and you wondered if that was the caller's name: Dabi.

"Shut the fuck up, Tomura!" the male on the line then shouted in response, not even bothering to cover up the receiver.

You sighed. Oh boy.

"Excuse me, I saw the advertisement in the newspaper, and I'd just like to sign up for the offer. It seems like it'd be the ideal job for me," you explained after Dabi calmed down, and there was a pause of silence before the male spoke again.

You could practically hear the smirk in that husky voice of his.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure that it'd be the... ideal job. It's not as good as it sounds..." he said smoothly, and you just rolled your eyes.

There was no way you were going to let this... "burnt-head looking ass" ruin your new job for you. No, you weren't going to listen. He was just spouting nonsense.

"I don't care. Just sign me up, and tell me when I can start working," you said firmly, not taking any of his BS. You heard him sigh on the other end.

"You're feisty, aren't you?" he said as the sound of a computer keyboard clacking away filled your ears, and you stayed silent.

After a few moments, Dabi spoke again, voice not losing the smugness it had.

"May I ask what your name is? Don't worry, I'm not flirting with you. Just need it for the... job stuff, y'know?"

"Y/N L/N."

A pause.

"Gotcha. Well, looks like you're set for tomorrow: Monday. Arrive at the address a little before 12 am. Ah, and no one else but you signed up, so guess you lucked out."

Obvious sarcasm dropped from his voice, and you grit your teeth. What an asshole.

"Thank you," you said in forced politeness, and Dabi clicked his tongue.

"My pleasure, Y/N."

As you hung up, you took a deep breath, gaze moving to settle on the broken-down TV in the corner of your room.

At least you'd be able to replace that old thing once you started working.