Jamba Juice - 1; Akanishi - 0
Title: Jamba Juice - 1; Akanishi - 0
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Akanishi Jin
Summary: Jin liked smoothies on principle. They were portable, they were healthy, and they were delicious. Especially when you popped off the lid and poured in some Malibu.
Notes/Warnings: An End of 2009 Request from katmillia who requested "Jin- adventures in America"
America was a damn nice place. Food portions were huge and the girls’ boobs were huge (at least the ones in this part of L.A.). It was sunny and bright, and today Jin wanted to get some practice.
Because America was a damn nice place…until people realized you weren’t a native speaker of English. If you didn’t know that you could order secret menu stuff at the In-n-Out. If you didn’t know the best way to ask for directions to the hottest clubs and ended up in a fruity gay bar in West Hollywood. Twice.
Today’s mission was to get a smoothie. Jin liked smoothies on principle. They were portable, they were healthy, and they were delicious. Especially when you popped off the lid and poured in some Malibu. He was meeting some of his new friends down on the Santa Monica Pier in about an hour, and he’d already memorized the phrases he’d have to tell to the cab driver (who probably understood less English than Jin did).
There was a Jamba Juice here, and he was going to order one all by himself. And he was going to order in English. He’d gotten by with pointing before. Pointing, nodding, smiling. So long as he paid in American currency, he got close enough to what he’d initially wanted. He’d never been in here without a friend before, and there was a decent queue.
The store smelled like citrus but with the added aroma of way too clean - probably floor wax. The staff said “Hi, welcome!” as he came in, and he appreciated it. Everywhere you went in Tokyo, people welcomed you to their stores. He was used to that - in America, you weren’t always welcomed. Unless there was a sale or something and then they wouldn’t leave you alone.
He joined the queue behind a rather fat woman in too tight pants. He scanned the menu, recognizing words for different fruits. This would be a cake walk. Tubby ordered herself a jumbo size which kind of took the whole healthy thing out of the smoothie. Whatever.
He took off his sunglasses and smiled. Unfortunately, it was a guy behind the cash register - not one of the cute little blondes or perky brunettes who were working the blenders and adding oranges to the juicer.
“WelcometoJambaJuice. CanIinterestyouinoneofournewhearthealthysmoothies? Foralimitedtimeonly, wehavesixteenouncehearthealthyforhalfpriceasathankyouforyourcontinuedpatronage.”
Jin’s mouth dropped open. “Hi?”
He heard the sound behind him. He knew that sound. It was the “are you slow?” noise that Americans made when the person in front of them in line was taking too long. Japanese people did that too, but they were more about being visibly irritated in the eyes rather than letting out sighs. They saved that until later.
The guy, ‘Rick’ according to his sticker-heavy name tag, just stared at him. Well, Rick had probably said something was on sale. Jin had heard a ‘thank you’ in the jumbled mess of a greeting, but he just decided whatever Rick was selling wasn’t going to be bought. Sorry Rick.
“Hi. I can please have original banana berry?”
“Originalbananaberry,” Rick took down in the computer. “CanIinterestyouinaboost? Wehavesixboostsfreeofchargeorothersforanextrafiftycents.”
Rick needed to slow down.
“Uh…”
The sigh came again, and he knew the queue was growing longer.
“No…boost?”
“Noboostokaythat’llbefourseventysixcanIgetyourname?”
Luckily, Jin wasn’t as stupid as other people, and he could see the total on the computer readout, handing Rick a five dollar bill. Rick handed him the change, but he was still looking at him funny.
The woman behind him, a cute little redhead with cherry lips, tapped him on the shoulder. Someone who didn’t know who he was. Someone who didn’t want to blow him just because he was famous.
“Hi there,” he said, turning with his best smile. The one he didn’t even bust out for Potato or Wink Up. “How are you?” He still had time before he had to catch his taxi and…
“Your name. Give him your name, idiot.”
He turned back to Rick, crestfallen. “Jin,” he mumbled.
“Jen?”
“Jin.”
“Jean?”
“Jin. J-I-N.”
Rick typed that in and handed him a receipt. He shoved it in his pocket angrily and moved out of the queue where the lady in the tight pants was waiting.
Well, at least he was getting his banana berry.
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Akanishi Jin
Summary: Jin liked smoothies on principle. They were portable, they were healthy, and they were delicious. Especially when you popped off the lid and poured in some Malibu.
Notes/Warnings: An End of 2009 Request from katmillia who requested "Jin- adventures in America"
America was a damn nice place. Food portions were huge and the girls’ boobs were huge (at least the ones in this part of L.A.). It was sunny and bright, and today Jin wanted to get some practice.
Because America was a damn nice place…until people realized you weren’t a native speaker of English. If you didn’t know that you could order secret menu stuff at the In-n-Out. If you didn’t know the best way to ask for directions to the hottest clubs and ended up in a fruity gay bar in West Hollywood. Twice.
Today’s mission was to get a smoothie. Jin liked smoothies on principle. They were portable, they were healthy, and they were delicious. Especially when you popped off the lid and poured in some Malibu. He was meeting some of his new friends down on the Santa Monica Pier in about an hour, and he’d already memorized the phrases he’d have to tell to the cab driver (who probably understood less English than Jin did).
There was a Jamba Juice here, and he was going to order one all by himself. And he was going to order in English. He’d gotten by with pointing before. Pointing, nodding, smiling. So long as he paid in American currency, he got close enough to what he’d initially wanted. He’d never been in here without a friend before, and there was a decent queue.
The store smelled like citrus but with the added aroma of way too clean - probably floor wax. The staff said “Hi, welcome!” as he came in, and he appreciated it. Everywhere you went in Tokyo, people welcomed you to their stores. He was used to that - in America, you weren’t always welcomed. Unless there was a sale or something and then they wouldn’t leave you alone.
He joined the queue behind a rather fat woman in too tight pants. He scanned the menu, recognizing words for different fruits. This would be a cake walk. Tubby ordered herself a jumbo size which kind of took the whole healthy thing out of the smoothie. Whatever.
He took off his sunglasses and smiled. Unfortunately, it was a guy behind the cash register - not one of the cute little blondes or perky brunettes who were working the blenders and adding oranges to the juicer.
“WelcometoJambaJuice. CanIinterestyouinoneofournewhearthealthysmoothies? Foralimitedtimeonly, wehavesixteenouncehearthealthyforhalfpriceasathankyouforyourcontinuedpatronage.”
Jin’s mouth dropped open. “Hi?”
He heard the sound behind him. He knew that sound. It was the “are you slow?” noise that Americans made when the person in front of them in line was taking too long. Japanese people did that too, but they were more about being visibly irritated in the eyes rather than letting out sighs. They saved that until later.
The guy, ‘Rick’ according to his sticker-heavy name tag, just stared at him. Well, Rick had probably said something was on sale. Jin had heard a ‘thank you’ in the jumbled mess of a greeting, but he just decided whatever Rick was selling wasn’t going to be bought. Sorry Rick.
“Hi. I can please have original banana berry?”
“Originalbananaberry,” Rick took down in the computer. “CanIinterestyouinaboost? Wehavesixboostsfreeofchargeorothersforanextrafiftycents.”
Rick needed to slow down.
“Uh…”
The sigh came again, and he knew the queue was growing longer.
“No…boost?”
“Noboostokaythat’llbefourseventysixcanIgetyourname?”
Luckily, Jin wasn’t as stupid as other people, and he could see the total on the computer readout, handing Rick a five dollar bill. Rick handed him the change, but he was still looking at him funny.
The woman behind him, a cute little redhead with cherry lips, tapped him on the shoulder. Someone who didn’t know who he was. Someone who didn’t want to blow him just because he was famous.
“Hi there,” he said, turning with his best smile. The one he didn’t even bust out for Potato or Wink Up. “How are you?” He still had time before he had to catch his taxi and…
“Your name. Give him your name, idiot.”
He turned back to Rick, crestfallen. “Jin,” he mumbled.
“Jen?”
“Jin.”
“Jean?”
“Jin. J-I-N.”
Rick typed that in and handed him a receipt. He shoved it in his pocket angrily and moved out of the queue where the lady in the tight pants was waiting.
Well, at least he was getting his banana berry.