Home seemed like such a foreign place to you. The way the key clicked its metalling clang in the lock sounded almost otherworldly. That ethereal ring also held a timbre of calm; an essence of simply you beckoned you home with a welcome warmth. Although, you had begun to feel that home always had the presence of a particularly tall and handsome being. Wherever Coco was, you felt like you were in the right place; simply, like you were home.
You let out a large sigh and breathed in the scent of hardwood floors; the subtle twang of lemon cleaning product bit at your senses from the last time you had lived within these walls. The curtains were still drawn since you had left, and you mentally kicked yourself for leaving the place so dark and musty. Surely letting in natural sunlight wouldn't have hurt. It wasn't like the rays would have bothered you; you hadn't been home.
"Everything okay?" Coco's mellow voice asked.
"Oh yeah, it's fine." You said, exhaustion starting to creep up on you. You hadn't envisioned that being away from your sanctuary would have made you feel so exhausted. 'I guess I missed being here more than I thought."
"I'm sorry if I kept you too long."
"Don't be daft. I needed to get away when I did. Come in, come in."
You held the door open for Coco as he breezed through the entryway, carrying your luggage for you much too easily.
"You know, you really didn't have to carry my things." You said, closing the heavy wooden door and securing the latch on it.
"It's no trouble. I wanted you to be comfortable."
"I was perfectly fine." You sighed with a smile. He was always doing small gestures for you just to make you "comfortable."
"Well, it's no trouble at all."
Coco flashed his signature sweet smile your way and you felt your heart twitch. The inevitability of you both parting ways was drawing closer with every second, and you weren't sure how to deal with it. Yes, you wanted to come home, but you still wanted to be with him. Your want to be with him conflicted with your want to be home, and you were having a hard time trying to express your feelings to him.
"D-do you want some tea?" You asked, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in your throat suddenly.
"Sounds lovely." Coco replied, settling the gourmet cases on the island bench in the kitchen and turning to gather water for the tea.
"Would you please just sit down, Coco?" You sighed with exasperation. "You're my guest now, so you don't need to do everything."
He blinked at you once before throwing his hands up and stepping away from the kitchen.
"If you say so." He said with a sly smile while you pouted at him. He gracefully folded himself down onto your couch and nestled in, running his fingers over the fabric idly.
"Thank you." You said with a light snip to your tone. "Goodness, it's like having a stubborn child. A well-mannered one at least, but stubborn nonetheless."
"You're saying I'm a child?" Coco egged, raising an eyebrow in your direction.
"You know perfectly well that's not what I'm getting at." You said shortly, settling your tea pot to boil on the element.
You knew he was pushing you; egging you for some kind of response. You had to bite back at a particularly nasty line that teetered on the edge of your tongue. However, you were in your domain now, and you were the master of your province.
"I'm not particularly attracted to boys." You settled on, arching your eyebrow at him with a crafty smile. You noticed the way his eyes flicked wide for just a moment before settling back to simmer under his lashes. He let out a small cough to clear his throat, turning away from you briefly.
"I digress." He said, avoiding making eye contact with you, and tapping his fingers on the arm of the lounge.
"What are you going to do now?" He probed softly, bringing his hands together into his lap. You couldn't help but notice how much he was fidgeting, watching the way one of his thumbs rubbed softly over the other.
"Work wise?" You queried back, leaning on the island bench with your chin in your hand.
"…yes." Coco said, finally bringing his eyes up back to yours. "I'll be honest, I don't feel comfortable with you…returning to your former occupation."
You let out a sigh and trudged over to join him on the couch, flopping down next to him ungracefully.
"I don't even know what I want to do anymore." You admitted with a sigh, leaning into his shoulder. He flinched slightly but didn't pull away. Instead, he eased into your cheek ever so slightly; revelling in the small warmth against his cool skin underneath his bodysuit.
"If you need help-"
"I'll be fine." You cut him off, smiling exasperatedly at him. "You're too kind for your own good."
"I just…"
Coco took a deep breath, struggling to collect his thoughts while you blinked your (e/c) at him.
"I just care about you." He said softly, still twiddling his thumbs.
You nuzzled into his shoulder more and grinned, letting the butterflies begin their ascent in your stomach once more. Seeing how awkward Coco was over you was endearing, to say the least.
"I care about you too…" You said softly, shifting your arm so your hand grazed over his thigh and came to rest on it. You didn't dare to go further, but you could feel your heart thumping so strongly inside your chest that you wondered if he could feel it too.
You both sat in close comfort, letting the silence brew between you until the whistle of the tea pot pierced the air. You puffed out a soft sigh of disappointment before peeling yourself away from his body. The walk between the couch and the kitchen felt like an eternity before you returned with two steaming cups of green tea. You handed one to him with a smile before returning to your spot next to him.
"I think I'm going to look for something new." You said finally, taking a small mouthful of tea after blowing on it to cool. "Maybe a café or something."
"I think you'd suit it." Coco offered, sipping his tea contentedly next to you. He was happy for the distraction to stop his hands from fidgeting again.
"Mmm, maybe. I've enjoyed cooking again too…maybe I can put the two together."
"Perhaps you could open your own business?"
You let out a snort of derision with a sombre smile.
"I think I've had enough of running my own business." You chuckled, swirling the green liquid in your cup and gazing into it. "I think I just want to work, come home and be able to relax at the end of it, you know?"
Coco nodded his head at your words, gazing out of the window into the bright afternoon sun.
"Just take care of yourself, please." He said, before tipping his face down to lock eyes with you. The tension became palpable between you both again and you broke out a small smile.
"I will. Promise." You said, leaning back into him once more.
Two hours passed before Coco bid his farewell, and you locked the door safely behind him. You knew he was waiting on the other side to listen to the latch locking before making his exit, and you couldn't help the swell in your chest because of him. You couldn't remember the last time you felt like this, but having a crush felt so nice. Taking a deep breath, you traipsed into the small study and booted your computer up; navigating with a familiar expertise until you had wormed your way into the back end of your website. It was only then that you had ever looked for a specific button, one that would bring an end to your business entirely.
It was with a cheerful grin that you watched the site break down on itself, until a small white page with a technical error greeted you forevermore.
You felt that you could do without the maid outfit, but beggars can't be choosers. The soft black and white dress swished around your thighs as you moved through the kitchen, collecting orders and manning the register on your shift. By some miracle, you had managed to snag a position in a small family owned café fairly close to your home in Gourmet Town. You had stopped in for a drink after handing out resumés and something about it's neat little window display caught your attention. Settled with a hot drink, you made small talk with the owner as he bustled around the premise between customers, and after mentioning that you were looking for work, he offered you an opportunity that you weren't about to throw away the chance for. After five consecutive shifts, it looked like you were a safe bet, and you were then presented with your own uniform; the maid outfit. You understood how powerful sex sells, but you couldn't help but feel a tiny bit exposed, even if you had worn one before on numerous occasions.
Your reignited passion for baking had also proved to be fruitful too, as the owner, Ojiro had all but demanded you make some to be sold exclusively at his café from now on. You had to admit that this was certainly a confidence boost, but you felt that the only reason they tasted so nice as the fresh ingredients you had captured on your hunts with Coco. Still, you weren't about to turn down extra money for doing something you enjoyed, and it didn't feel like much of a chore to make your sweets in bulk. It almost felt like you did have your own store, but without the responsibility.
You were happy.
You bid farewell to a sweet gentleman as the register rang out with a cheerful ka-ching, tipping the cash from the sale into its specific slots. Today was a bustling trade, and tables were being filled and replaced with guests almost immediately when the previous occupants had finished.
"Ahh, (Y/N), your baked goods are such a god-send!" Ojiro said, patting you on the shoulder as he breezed past you as he worked, filling up multiple plates with different pastries from the cabinet. "You've been the best thing I could ever ask for!"
"That's very sweet, Mr Tanaka sir." You chirped, tidying the counter briefly and wiping it down.
"Oh, please my dear, just call me Ojiro." He pressed, shutting the cabinet and beaming at you before making a beeline out onto the floor again stacked high with plates.
The chatter and hum of the customer's babble downed out most of your thoughts as you paced yourself through your responsibilities. You were giving one of the display cases a good clean when you were snapped out of your concentration when almost all of the customers scraped back their chairs and fled the café as a giant mob. You peeked your eyes over the counter as your jaw slacked, unsure of what exactly was going on. A mere moment ago, the place was filled with happy customers, and now it was reminiscent of a ghost town.
"Uhh… Ojiro?" You called out, pulling yourself up and straightening your uniform.
"…Ojiro?"
Silence greeted you before you heard ragged panting breathing out from your boss's form. His salmon coloured shirt appeared in front of you in a flash and his large hands pulled you further behind the counter and down onto the ground.
"Shh!" He hissed, holding you close and keeping his eye out through the glass pastry cabinet.
"What's going o-"
"Shh! He's here!" He said in a sharp whisper.
"Who's here?!"
"It's-"
Before Ojiro could finish his sentence, a deep, booming voice echoed through the café, shaking the glass windows with an extreme force.
"How hard is it to get some fuck'n service here?!"
Despite your boss's protests, you pulled yourself out of his grasp and stood up, eyes falling onto the large figure standing in the doorway of the café. He was dressed in a simple ochre shirt and grey pants, but his muscles were ones that would rival Toriko's form easily. Deep scars etched over his biceps glinted with menace under the fluorescent lights, but it was his face that held the most horror. Underneath wild locks of fuchsia hair, sharp eyes sat in deep recesses under a permanent scowl, while the left side of his mouth remained open in a permanent scar. Serrated teeth peeked through the folds of skin from his Glasgow smile, sharp and animalistic. You thought you might have seen this man in your nightmares.
His eyes locked onto your form as you stood up, and his scowl seemed to crease further into his features.
"Are you going to help me."
It wasn't a request, and you found yourself making your way over to him before your brain could connect to your feet. His voice reverberated through your body and you tried to steel your nerve enough to put on your professional face again.
"H-Hello sir." You squeaked, pulling yourself together in front of him. If you thought your maid outfit was small before, it made you feel tiny before this behemoth of a man.
"H-How may I help you t-today?"
You heard the man scoff before he pulled a chair out from a table. The metallic screech of the legs pulling across the tiles struck your ears painfully, but you did your best to keep smiling.
"I'm hungry." The man said, dropping into the chair with a heavy thud and he finally blinked. That break in eye contact made you feel like the spell was broken over you, and you began to collect your thoughts more. You paid notice that the harshness in his tone has dissipated an iota. If he was hungry, why shouldn't you just feed him?
"Of course." You said, your own voice still comparatively small, but you had a job to do. "What would you like?"
"Anything. And hurry up with it."
You nodded and turned on your heel, gathering up clean dishes and piling up a large selection of your goods onto the one plate. Ojiro watched with fearful eyes as you worked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"(Y/n), what are you doing?" He whispered, still hiding under the safety of the counter.
"Serving, what does it look like?" You hissed back, trying to balance a croissant onto the top of the leaning tower of food that you were currently balancing.
"(Y/n), that's Heavenly King Zebra!"
"Huh? Really?!"
"Yes! He's got a temper as foul as a wild beast. You should just move him on!"
"He just wants to eat. I would suggest getting him a drink for this too, by the way."
You gestured to the stack of food in your hand and shut the cabinet, trying to make it all presentable in the best way possible. You neatened what you could and made your way back to him, placing the plate down in front of him as he picked his teeth with a long fingernail.
"Here you are, sir." You said, bringing your hands together in front of your lap and bowing. "I hope you enjoy the selection of our delicious goods on offer."
"Are you being cocky?" Zebra griped with such intensity you were rattled to your very core.
"E-Excuse me?"
"Gettin' all cocky by saying these're delicious. I can't stand cocky people."
At this point you were a bundle of shaking nerves. Now you could understand why he didn't show up to the banquet with the other Kings.
"Not cocky, sir." You squeaked again, wanting to hide away for eternity. "Just…proud?"
Zebra snorted again and crammed the top croissant in his mouth greedily. You could see flecks of pastry moving in and out of his teeth and gums from his open wound and he forced another two desserts into his mouth before finishing the first one. You remained frozen on the spot, watching in both awe and fear at the raw intensity of this man's eating. He had finished the plate in the blink of an eye and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand roughly. Those same sharp eyes clicked onto you again and he pointed a thick finger in your direction.
"More." was all he said.
You nodded and scooted back behind the counter again, this time grabbing multiple plates and piling the as much of the foods available that you could balance on each one. When your hands were full, you dropped off what you had to his table before repeating the process until all of your stocks had depleted. At some point, Ojiro had handed you a bottle of aged whiskey to take out to him too, which he threw down his throat with gusto.
Rather than standing around and staring, you took pains to go about and clear up the rest of the place. You busied yourself with clearing plates and wiping tables as sounds of chewing and grunting permeated the silence briefly. Occasionally you would flick your eyes over to your customer and watch him rip into all of your food with ravenous force, before turning your attention away to your task again. Before long, he had cleaned his plates and emptied the brown bottle of all its contents. Zebra ran a finger over a plate, wiping up a trail of powdered sugar and sucking it off of his digit crudely. He pushed himself away from the table with the same rough force as before, but made his way towards you. You could feel the blood pounding in your ears. Zebra put his hands on his hips and pulled himself down to your eye level.
"Oi, you made that stuff?"
You nodded and managed to squeeze out a small yes at him.
"Good."
You figured this was some kind of compliment so you forced a small smile to him.
"Thank you, sir. Can I get you anything else?"
Zebra snorted again and started towards the door. The bell above tinkled sweetly and you felt the words rushing out of your mouth before you could think.
"E-Excuse me! You need to pay!"
Zebra stopped in the middle of the doorway; a hard feat to accomplish since he was almost double the width of it. He stopped dead in in his tracks and your blood turned cold.
"What have I done?" you thought, knees shaking violently now.
Zebra turned, ever so slowly, back to face you. If you thought his scowl before was menacing, it had nothing compared to the look you were receiving now, and you could swear your soul was seeping out of your body.
"Excuse me?"
He was back to using that harsh, buffeting voice again, but you had come this far. If you were going to die, at least die standing on your feet.
"I-I need you to pay for your meals…p-please."
A low growl escaped from him lips as he stared you down. Whether or not it was your conviction or something else, Zebra turned back into the café and lumbered over to the register, throwing a card down onto the counter top a little too aggressively. Ojiro had appeared out of nowhere again and totalled up the sale, before processing the black card that belonged to the fourth Heavenly King. Ojiro stuttered out a thankyou before Zebra swiped his plastic back and stuffing it deep into a pocket in his pants. He cast a intimidating look over to your boss before spitting out his next words.
"You the owner?" he asked.
"W-why yes, Mr Zebra. Sir." Ojiro stammered, failing to hide any sort of fear plaguing him at this encounter.
Zebra's harsh eyes scanned over Ojiro's lean form and stylish brown hair before snarling at him further. He then turned to cast his eyes over you again and back to the owner.
"Grow some fuck'n balls."
And with that, Zebra waltzed out of the café and into the bustle of Gourmet Town. The bell tinkled again happily at his exit, and you both were left standing there dumbfounded at the whole exchange.