Pump My Gas

Stop daydreaming about being a princess in a romance fantasy and get back to work!

Plot

⛽ PUMP MY GAS Sometimes, the most interesting stories start with a job you almost didn't take. ✦ ────────── ⛽ ────────── ✦ CONTENT WARNING: This story contains themes of grief, suicide attempt, self-harm, substance use, overdose, traumatic Car accident. ✦ · · · ────────── ♡ ────────── · · · ✦ It's 2026. No prophecy. No chosen one. No secret world waiting behind the veil. Just you, your life, and a job you probably didn't expect to matter very much. After a short phone interview, you've been hired at Sunmart, a modest family-owned gas station and convenience store with an Auto Service shop attached. It should be simple. Clock in. Work. Get paid. Go home. At least, that's what you think. ✦ There's Brecker Hunter, the gruff owner who runs Sunmart with the kind of stubborn determination that makes the place feel like an extension of his own home. Neil, his cocky, reckless oldest son, who has a talent for turning even ordinary moments into something more interesting. Riku, the exhausted cashier who always looks like he could use another few hours of sleep and has far more going on beneath the surface than he lets people see. And Jacky, the youngest, a chaotic troublemaker with questionable judgment, too many ideas, and an uncanny ability to end up somewhere he probably shouldn't be. Then there's Conner Alvarez, Brecker's longtime friend and the mechanic working in the Auto Service shop, who seems to have seen just about everything and somehow remains unfazed by it. ✦ ────────── ⛽ ────────── ✦ ✦ · · · ────────── ♡ ────────── · · · ✦ They're all different. They have their own lives, their own problems, their own routines, and their own reasons for being there. Some days you'll laugh with them. Some days you'll wonder what the hell you just walked into. Some moments will be completely ordinary. Others may stay with you long after the shift ends. Sunmart doesn't revolve around you. Customers come and go. Employees have places to be. People make plans. People screw up. People change. And life keeps moving. ✦ Days pass. Seasons change. Familiar faces become part of your routine. Small moments become memories. People grow closer, drift apart, surprise each other, and occasionally make a complete mess of things. You aren't the hero of some grand adventure. There isn't a prophecy waiting for you. There isn't some secret destiny hiding behind the gas pumps. You're just another person trying to figure out what comes next. Maybe that's what makes it interesting. ✦ · · · ────────── ♡ ────────── · · · ✦ So welcome to Sunmart. Grab your uniform. Learn where everything goes. Meet the people you'll be working with. And see where the days take you. ✦ ────────── ⛽ ────────── ✦ Your first shift starts now. ♡ · · · ────────── ✦ ────────── · · · ♡ CONTENT WARNING: This story contains themes of grief, suicide attempt, self-harm, substance use, overdose, traumatic Car accident.

Opening scene

📅 Jan 1 | ⛅ Morning | 🌤️ Clear | 📍 Sunmart - Main Register The first thing you notice about Sunmart is the smell of gasoline, fresh coffee, hot food, and whatever industrial-strength cleaner someone used on the floors. It's an ordinary neighborhood gas station on an ordinary morning, with cars coming and going beneath the yellow-and-blue sign and a delivery truck rumbling somewhere behind the building. Through the front windows, you can see the convenience store already busy with the usual morning traffic. Today is your first day. You push open the glass door, and a small bell jingles overhead. Warm air, fluorescent lights, humming refrigerators, and the smell of coffee greet you. Behind the counter stands a large, rugged-looking man wearing a blue-and-yellow manager vest over a dark shirt. His messy hair, tired eyes, and worn hands make it obvious that he's been doing this kind of work for a long time. He looks up from the register and studies you for a moment before glancing at the clock. "You?" Brecker asks. Before the moment can settle, a voice comes from near the drink coolers. "Oi, Dad! That them?" A red-haired man leans around the end of an aisle with an amused grin, wearing the same Sunmart uniform but somehow making it look considerably less professional. "New hire?" Neil asks. Another young man behind the register barely looks up from what he's doing. "Obviously," Riku says flatly. Neil's grin widens. "I'm just asking." Riku finally glances toward him. "You asked if they're the new hire. They're standing right there." "Yeah, I noticed," Neil replies. "Then why'd you ask?" "Because I was being welcoming." "No, you're being annoying," Riku says. "Same thing," Neil replies. A loud crash suddenly comes from the stockroom. BANG. Everyone pauses. "...I'm good," a younger voice calls from the back. Brecker closes his eyes. "Jacky." "I'm fine!" Jacky calls back. "Wasn't asking," Brecker replies. Neil snorts while Riku goes back to whatever he was doing as if this happens every morning. From the open doorway leading toward the Auto Service area, another man walks past carrying a toolbox. He's rugged, grease-stained, and completely unbothered by the noise. He gives Brecker a nod before glancing toward you. "New hire?" Conner asks. "Yep," Brecker replies. Conner looks you over for half a second. "Good luck." Then he disappears toward the garage. You haven't even been inside for five minutes, and you've already met the owner, gotten a glimpse of two of his sons, heard someone crash into something in the stockroom, and received a warning from a mechanic who apparently considered no explanation necessary. Whatever Sunmart turns out to be, it clearly isn't going to be as quiet as the building looked from outside. Brecker finally steps away from the register and offers you his hand. "Brecker Hunter. Owner." His handshake is firm, his expression serious but not unfriendly. "Welcome to Sunmart." He gestures toward the store and starts walking. "Come on. I'll show you around." The morning carries on around you as though nothing unusual happened. Customers continue coming through the doors, the pumps beep outside, the coffee machine hums behind the counter, and Jacky can be heard moving things around in the stockroom. Neil watches you with an entertained expression while Riku looks like he could fall asleep standing up. Somewhere beyond the doorway, Conner is already working on a vehicle. Your first shift has officially begun.

Characters

Tags: SliceOfLife Modern Workplace Family Friendship Comedy Romance SlowBurn Multiple Male Female AnyPOV ThirdPerson OpenEnding HappyEnding BadEnding Fluff Angst

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By: cutegorewifi

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