Before we begin, you should check mikoriin's amazing piece based on the first chapter on their tumblr. Thank you!

ii. the life of the rich and famous

At eleven-thirty sharp, the doorbell rings. Xi checks in the intercom who it is, and Shiro trails after him to the front door. Keith is still holed up in his bedroom, and with so few people in the house, Shiro's services aren't really necessary.

On the other side of the door stands a man armed with cooler bags. Shiro would probably have to look through them all had Xi not been familiar with the man Hunk - their cook - so he only smiles politely and offers to carry some of the bags. He gladly accepts the help and squeezes Shiro's hand firmly in greeting.

Hunk has a kind smile and kinder eyes, and black hair that he ties back with a bandana the moment they get in the kitchen. Xi and Shiro unpack the ingredients for today's lunch as Hunk looks through cabinets and drawers for utensils, all the while keeping a steady conversation flowing.

"So you said you're Keith's bodyguard?"

Shiro is looking at the assortment of condiments he can barely recognize as he replies. "Yes, I just started today."

"How are you liking it here so far?" He asks as he arranges the items on the counter in some particular order only Hunk knows. "Beautiful house, isn't it? The tech nerd in me is dying to learn how it all works."

Matt's little sister would love it too, Shiro muses. Matt too, actually, even if he's been spending the last few years researching the stars with his dad. "It's beautiful indeed. I really like the view from here."

Hunk whistles, flipping a knife in the air and scrolling through his recipe on his phone simultaneously. Shiro winces even when Hunk catches the knife by the hilt. "One of the best views, in my opinion, and I've been to a lot of houses here in Beverly Hills, among other places. At night it's really something else. No wonder Keith likes eating outside."

Xi makes a noise of agreement from where he's getting items to set up one of the tables by the poolside for Keith. Feeling rather useless as he's not needed anywhere, Shiro slides onto a nearby stool and watches Hunk cook. Sure he could offer to help, but taking in consideration how simple and plain his meal prep is, it's best to stand aside and let the man do the work.

Besides, Hunk's hands fly over the ingredients too fast, peeling and chopping vegetables so expertly it puts anyone to shame. Wild rice is poured in hot water to cook and he gathers ingredients for a sauce. With quick movements, he has some shallots diced in perfect cubes, and in the next second he's chopped five cloves of garlic. Shiro watches silently, aware that one of the salmon fillets in the tupperware is for him.

Goodbye, soggy vegetables and dry chicken.

Soon the house becomes fragrant with the smell of cooking shallots and garlic, and as Hunk adds grated ginger to the mix, Keith emerges from his room with Kosmo in tow. Still dressed in that short, revealing little thing, but now with a silky black robe on top that fans out with every purposeful step, he joins them in the kitchen, snuggly pressing his front to Hunk's side to peer at the pots on the cooktop.

"Well, good morning, Hunk." Keith drops his chin to the cook's shoulder. "I see you've already met my insanely gorgeous bodyguard." He lifts his gaze up to Shiro, and he feels pinned to the spot as Keith slowly bares him with his eyes alone. Shiro doesn't think he'll ever get used to it.

Hunk, on his part, merely grins at Keith and remains unaffected by his proximity, never ceasing his working hands. Shiro wishes he had that composure. Maybe it's a matter of time. "Good morning, Keith. Yeah, he seems like a cool guy from the few things we spoke about."

Keith hums thoughtfully, and Shiro can imagine what goes through his head when his eyes settle on his broad chest. "Oh, yes. A cool guy. Very fine too." Hunk laughs like Keith isn't undressing Shiro in his mind, and Keith turns his attention back to the cook, all traces of sexual hunger disappearing from his face as he twirls the end of the bandana around an index finger. "Tell me what you're cooking for me today?"

Just like that, they forget Shiro is in the same room with them as Hunk goes over every ingredient and quantity used in this meal. The most surprising thing is that Keith is listening with rapt attention, nodding and asking things accordingly, still perched on Hunk's shoulder as the man tends to the pots. Shiro would find it cute, endearing even, if Keith were acting more like a real person than an actress portraying the annoying rich girl in a teen movie, annoying voice and all.

At least, it's good to know he's got interests in something other than designer clothes and hitting on Shiro.

Keith peels himself away to get a water bottle from the fridge, and Hunk deems it's finally time to cook the marinated salmon. On his way to the pool, Keith lets his fingers trace the width of Shiro's shoulders, slipping above the collar of his suit to tease his hairline on the back of his neck. Shiro can't keep from jumping, and Keith laughs as he walks away. Hunk is trying to bite back a smile and failing.

Thankfully, the man doesn't say anything and instead turns to talk to the dog lingering by his feet, looking up at him with icy blue eyes and hoping for a treat. Kosmo only earns a smile and a promise to be petted later, and then he's sauntering after his owner with his tail high in air.

Dogs really do take after their owners.

Unbelievable.

Xi returns when Hunk is plating the food. He places fine cutlery and crystal glasses on the counter, claiming the other stool as his own and thanking Hunk for the food. The cook sets both plates in front of them and leaves to personally deliver Keith his own, leaving bodyguard and butler alone in the kitchen. Given the familiarity displayed earlier, it's easy to see that they're close, and Shiro is honestly glad that a man like Keith has someone like Hunk in his life. Having so much money in your possession surely attracts all kinds of wrong people, and it must be hard to have real friends. So if Hunk considers himself Keith's friend, Shiro is honestly happy for his charge.

Once Xi lifts his head after finishing his silent prayer, Shiro decides it's now acceptable to take his first bite. Cutting a piece of the fillet and placing it in his mouth, he has to bite his tongue to keep from humming. It's an explosion of flavors that melt in his mouth and makes his taste buds sing. The fish is tender, the sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the wild rice can hardly be compared to anything else he's eaten in his life. In this moment he knows he'll miss the food more than anything else when he returns home.

Bless Hunk for having such talented hands.

As they load the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, Hunk and Keith return from the poolside where they've been chatting in private. "Try not to give Shiro a hard time, Keith." Hunk says as he gathers his things, watching as Keith leans a hip against the counter and quirks an eyebrow.

"If giving him a hard time is what I got to do to feel those massive muscles wrapping protectively around me, Hunk, then that's what I'll do."

Shiro doesn't find it hard to believe Keith would go that far.

The house is quiet. It isn't all that surprising that the neighborhood is too. Sometimes he can hear the distant, obnoxious purr of a sports cars driving down the roads of Beverly Hills, but it does little to disrupt the silence. Keith retreated to the home theater after lunch, Xi is... Somewhere, and Kosmo is trained well enough that the most noise he makes is the little whine when he was begging Hunk for food.

Shiro isn't used to the quiet, though.

Los Angeles is a big city, and Marmora Services doesn't limit its work to L.A. alone, extending it to neighboring cities and even other states, which means Shiro is always on the move. Whether he's overseeing an event and keeping it orderly, or he's been assigned as a designated driver while one of his more seasoned coworkers slip into the role of bodyguard for the day, he's always surrounded by noise, be it pounding music or an incessant chatter coming from around the room or the backseat.

And if he's got free time on his hands, then he's working or jogging, earphones in place to push him through his workout. Or meeting with friends, talking over a movie or the video game they're playing, or he's got his TV turned up just enough so he can hear it as he cleans his apartment and tends to his meal prep.

This much stillness leaves him floundering, sitting on one of the many plush seats on the ground floor with not much to do. His work is really only required when Keith leaves his home, but Shiro can understand it's easier for him to move here than to come and go as Keith needs. After all he might just decide to leave in the last minute - precisely why Shiro can't simply go to the wellness center and work a sweat now, or any other time he's felt restless.

He considers texting his friends, because he misses them already, misses the time spent with Matt and Katie in their living room eating pizza as he zones out when they get too excited about matters he doesn't understand. Matt is working now, actually enjoying his time in the lab with his dad as they work together and research. Katie is in class or studying at home, and he doesn't want to be the one to break her concentration - a hard feat to do, but not impossible. Shiro doesn't want to be responsible for making a Holt anything less than spectacular.

And then there's Lance, but they met only a few times and Shiro doesn't really know what to talk to him about.

His list of friends is pretty lame.

Shiro changes seats, picks one where he won't be caught by surprise if anyone enters the room or sneaks up on him. After an unnecessary glance around to make sure he's truly alone, he gets comfortable and opens up the web browser to do some research. The file provided by Marmora Services had some information about Keith - sassy, temperamental, has troubles with discipline and rules, will stop at nothing to get what he wants - but Shiro figures he should know their family history since he's now working closely for the sole heir of the Kogane fashion empire.

It is weird and maybe even creepy to google information on both Krolia and Keith, and ideally he knows he shouldn't go poking around. Shiro doesn't feel quite like a stalker or an overzealous fan as he can excuse this search in the anonymous tab as him doing everything in his reach to better perform in his job. Wikipedia seems like a good place to start.

Krolia's page lacks information about her personal and past life. All it says is that she was married to an unnamed husband, they had Keith, and she is now a widower. Shiro can respect that they don't disclose this to the press as it probably is one of the few things they can keep private when they're so exposed to the media.

It explains in great detail her climb to the top, from her first job working for Galra to her internship at Juniberry, to other places she worked afterwards as she built her fashion empire from the ground up, solidifying the name of her brand, Kogane. There are few pictures of her from before she became famous, and there's one from her first important fashion show that includes Keith in it.

As a teen, Keith barely reaches her shoulders. He's small and lithe, forever the spitting image of her. They wear matching smiles as they look at the camera, and Keith holds himself much differently, more withdrawn, unused to the fame.

Keith's page, if possible, is smaller than hers. There isn't much to say here, though Shiro has a feeling that if he types Keith Kogane in the search bar, it will yield many gossipy results. It mentions Keith isn't enrolled in the business, that he's what one would call an it-girl, and includes various pictures of him with other celebrities, most of which Shiro never heard of.

Now that he knows a little more about Krolia, he closes the tab and decides to not look for more details about the Kogane family, suddenly feeling guilty. If they're keeping it quiet about their early life, he knows better than to go digging around against their wish. Perhaps one day they'll tell him everything, but if they never do, he can respect that. Everyone has things they don't like to share.

The elevator hums as Xi comes to the ground floor of the mansion, smiling bright the moment he spots Shiro sitting alone on the chaise longue. "Miss Zethrid and Miss Ezor are on their way now for Mr. Keith's classes. He's already waiting for them in the wellness center."

Shiro tucks his tablet away and stands. "I've been meaning to ask about your schedule, Mr. Xi."

"Mine?" The man hums and taps his chin lightly with his fingertips. "I come at eight in the morning and leave shortly after the misses are gone, if they happen to come over."

"Does Mr. Hunk come later for dinner?" Shiro asks, having noticed the yellow bar on the schedule is only shown at midday.

"Oh, no. Mr. Keith usually goes out for dinner, or he orders something instead." Shiro tries to imagine Keith, of all people, eating chinese take-out in his couch and pajamas, but the mental image is too ludicrous. "Mr. Hunk works with at Vrepit Sal at night. If he were available, I do believe he would come. They are good friends."

The doorbell rings and Shiro bites back his following question as he follows Xi to the door. On the small screen of the intercom they see two figures outside, the distinguishable form of Zethrid crowding over a smaller, slimmer form of who Shiro guesses is Ezor. She flashes a brilliant smile at the camera when Xi unlocks the gate and saunters ahead of Zethrid, looping her arms around Xi to give him an exaggerated kiss on the cheek, leaving a bright pink smear on his skin. Shiro catches a strong scent of flowers as her high ponytail whips about.

Zethrid is more subdued in comparison and is the first to notice Shiro standing there. She shakes his hand, firm and strong, and he squeezes just as tightly, marveled that he's meeting her in person. "I don't think we've met?"

"I'm Mr. Keith's bodyguard. You can call me Shiro." Ezor steps close to him for a handshake. Her hand is small and much smoother, nails painted pale pink.

"I can't believe Krolia finally convinced Keith to hire a bodyguard." She chats amiably, fixing the straps over her shoulders. "Had I known, I'd brought another yoga mat."

Shiro eyes the three mats in question behind her back, red and purple and pink. "I won't be joining his training session, but thank you."

Zethrid snorts and clamps a strong hand on his shoulder as she passes. "Like Keith won't drag you into it. You're just his type."

"Yep! He'll love to see you hot and bothered, doing yoga all sweaty." Ezor brushes past him, loops her arms around one of Zethrid's and calls out. "Go change!"

Shiro is embarrassed at first, but then becomes mortified when Xi chuckles, cheeks flaming in response. He resists the urge to groan and bury his face in his hands, and instead takes deep breaths counting to ten.

"You can go, Shiro." Xi says, soft and gentle and aware of Shiro's embarrassment. "He will make you join, so you might as well save yourself the trouble of trying to change his mind."

When he was younger, Shiro dreamed of being an astronaut, of being accepted in the Garrison or NASA and flying a spaceship to the moon or another celestial body. It's a dream he entertains sometimes when he's trying to fall asleep, of being among the stars and being one of the first men to get to the edge of the Solar system, but it's not a dream he wants to pursue anymore. Now, one of his dreams is to have a training session with Zethrid, and Matt hates him for it. A stupid dream, his friend says, but Shiro has been called a gym rat since his teens for a reason.

He'd love nothing more than to join them, but the one thing holding him back is his own professionalism. He shouldn't do it. Keith is his employer, he's Kolivan and Thace's nephew for God's sake, the two people that hired him in the first place back then. And even if Keith weren't, or were he anyone else, Shiro can't really hop on the treadmill like he's a friend and not an employee.

As he meets Xi's gaze and the man nods once more, Shiro can't help but feel some kind of defeat as he droops his shoulders and accepts his fate. He won't fully enjoy having Zethrid training him when he knows he was never supposed to be there in the first place. Still, he changes quickly, not in the mood to have Keith whining and trying to force him into workout gear. He tugs at the waistband of his shorts. Is it possible to be underdressed for a workout?

Laughter reaches him as soon as he gets to the bottom step of the stairs. In the wellness center, Ezor is perched on a pull-up bar, hanging upside down, face red. She sticks her hand out and Keith leans forward, taking it delicately to peer at the ring she's showing off. At the far end of the room, Zethrid is picking the correct equipment for today's workout.

"This is absolutely stunning." Shiro can almost see the stars in Keith's eyes as he strokes the jewel with the pad of his thumb. "The round cut is such a classic. You really outdid yourself, Zethrid."

Keith releases her hand and Ezor flips around to lower herself back on the ground with a laugh. "Acxa helped her pick, but I don't love her any less for it."

"I'm not well versed in diamonds." Zethrid gestures to the simple silver band tied around her neck by a chain, and that's explanation enough for them. Then, addressing Shiro, she says. "You've decided to join us, after all."

With the three of them looking at him, and hyper aware of Keith studying him again, Shiro wants to return to the safety of his suit. "Yes. I- ah, I'm a big fan of your work."

"I could tell you go to the gym, but I didn't know you were built like a brick house." She gives him a thumbs up and walks over to the treadmills. "Let's begin, then."

Shiro isn't having the time of his life.

Zethrid is good at what she does and comes up with a routine for him on the spot, tailored to his needs. He doesn't quite feel like an outsider, mostly because Ezor and Zethrid talk to him through the workout and make him feel welcomed, but Keith won't stop looking. Shiro catches him staring from time to time, eyes molten and lips parted, following beads of sweat trailing down his neck and face. Keith will make eye contact and lick his lips occasionally, and it's only sheer self control and professionalism that keeps Shiro from choking.

It's the longest hour of his life, and every time they walk past each other on their ways to a different equipment and Keith finds a way to touch him, the minutes drag for longer. At least, Keith is brushing his arms and shoulders. Shiro would be more troubled if he went for his chest again.

Xi is waiting for them outside with refreshments and cut up fruit once they're done. Ezor pops some grapes into her mouth and moves away to place the yoga mats by the poolside, and Zethrid makes herself comfortable in a chair with a glass of lime and mint infused water. Shiro is finishing his bottle of plain water when his gaze locks with Keith's, the man's mouth wrapped around a striped red and white straw as he sucks his own drink deliberately. Shiro looks the other way, grateful for the flush from exertion on his cheeks that makes his blush less obvious.

Keith releases the straw with a sinful little sigh, and it's only Shiro's trademark speech about patience and focus that leaves him mostly unaffected by the sounds and sights. And Matt has the gall to say it doesn't work.

Zethrid didn't miss the exchange, though, and she's smirking at him rather sinisterly when she reclines on the chair and tells him to join Ezor and Keith in their usual yoga routine. Despite his protests that he isn't all that flexible for yoga, it goes unheard and Ezor takes his wrist to haul him over to the mats, where Keith is already waiting and looking at him from over his shoulder.

Remind Shiro to never underestimate Ezor again. She's lithe and all, but she's engaged to a massive personal trainer, so he should've expected she'd be able to manhandle him wherever she wanted.

He can follow through the initial stretch well enough, but can hardly keep up with Ezor as she twists this way and that like her bones aren't solid. His legs only go so far and his back doesn't let him bend himself fully in half to hugs his calves, but she cheers him on and he keeps trying anyway.

And then he learns Keith is just as flexible as her, sticking his ass high in the air to perform a downward facing dog, wiggling his hips and winking when he catches Shiro looking. The knowledge that he can easily flow from one pose to another without a hitch and perform them perfectly worms itself in Shiro's brain and he glares up at the sky in half cobra. When he was chosen for this, was Kolivan aware of the things Keith would put him through?

Shiro doesn't look Keith's way again and focuses on the poses. He's a man in his thirties and hasn't been a teenager laden by hormones for a long time now. Keith is beautiful and enticing and could probably get a younger Shiro going easily, but now he's a grown man that can control his urges and he can handle this, easy. Keith will have as much influence over him as Shiro lets him, and he's here to work, not to mess around with him.

He makes it through the yoga session and even finds himself relaxed by the end of it.

Keith seems peeved that he hadn't managed to maintain Shiro's focus on him and so he sinks down on a chair to sulk as he eats most of the mango slices on the fruit platter. Xi sees both women off, and Shiro hides in the kitchen to drink more water and debate whether or not he can help himself to one of the premade, store bought protein shakes in the fridge.

After Xi emphasises to make himself at home and offers to stay the night in case Shiro is having trouble to adapt to the new environment, the man takes his leave too after thanking Shiro, who holds the car door of the Uber open for him and watches it drive away. He makes sure the gates are properly locked and closes the front door behind him silently. He's now officially alone in the Kogane Mansion with Keith.

Lord help him.

A rattling sound catches his attention and he turns just in time to see Kosmo hurrying to Keith's side, a red leash caught between his teeth and dragging across the floor. The man scratches behind the dog's ears before taking the leash away and securing the harness around his torso.

"Come on, handsome." Keith calls out, and Shiro belatedly realizes he's being talked to. "We have to take Kosmo out for his daily walk."

The keys are hidden in a black crystal bowl by the door. Shiro snatches them as he passes, dutifully following Keith after checking everything once more and setting up the alarm with the key fob. Taking the dog out for a walk seems harmless and innocent enough, but he's a quick learner and knows better than to expect Keith to keep his distance. As it is, he's walking ahead, strutting like a model on the catwalk, and Kosmo mimics the movement like before.

Shiro doesn't really know why he's here right now working as his bodyguard - not that he's going to complain, because he's getting a better pay and can make use of anything he wants in the mansion (i.e. the gym), but Keith doesn't seem in immediate danger. He looks like the kind of person to get shitfaced in parties and maybe have some questionable one-night stands, but he doesn't seem to be the type that people would want to harm. Though, Shiro supposes, he is the only son of a fashion mogul that lives in a thirty million dollar mansion practically by himself. He can be an easy target to kidnap.

Krolia is right to worry for him, to want someone to trail his every step. It might make her sleep better at night.

Houses here are grand, of various styles that he could spend hours admiring for their beauty. Keith's home apparently is one of the few that doesn't fit the stereotypical Hollywood mansion look of blue-tiled roofs and white walls, and it certainly stands out among his neighbors. Shiro can't spare them more than a few seconds of his attention and keeps his eyes and ears open for anything that might be suspicious.

Shiro stops as he catches up with Keith, looks down at the man peering up at him with a look he can't begin to decipher. Keith expresses desire openly on his face, and sadly that's something Shiro has already learned to read. Other emotions are still a mystery and he waits for Keith to elaborate.

"I'm impressed." He says at last, angling his body to face Shiro properly. "You're being quite the challenge."

"With all due respect, sir, I'm not here to fool around."

Keith hums, reaching out to smooth the tight fabric pulled across Shiro's chest. The pec he touches twitches involuntarily and he smirks, biting his lip. "Yes, yes, but I can imagine following someone around all day long is quite boring, don't you think? Fooling around would make it much more interesting."

Shiro chooses not to say anything, curling his hands into fists when Keith purposefully sweeps his thumb over a nipple again. Patience yields focus and all that. Kosmo watches them curiously and flicks his ear when Shiro finally steps back and away from Keith's reach.

"Please, sir. Allow me to do my job."

Keith isn't done. He releases the leash - Kosmo stays put - and strides up to Shiro, plastering their chests together. He's shorter and smaller compared to Shiro and something in his brain short-circuits, but he isn't stunned for long. "Your iron will is admirable, Shiro, but it's an annoyance." Keith catches Shiro's chin between two fingers and angles his face down to better look him in the eyes as he whispers, voice silky and sultry. "How long can you keep it together until you crack, I wonder? How long until you break and fall right into my bed?"

Patting Shiro's cheek, Keith pulls away, bending down to retrieve the forgotten leash. "Well, let's head back. I really want to take off these nasty clothes and soak for a good hour before dinner. What do you feel like eating?"

Shiro isn't imagining the way Keith squeezes his own ass when he proposes dinner and has to swallow down a sudden knot in his throat. Keith switched from one topic to the next so fast Shiro nearly got a whiplash, and he's aware he's staring rather dumbly at Keith's triumphant face as he tries to make sense of the words. Worse than that, Keith sounds hot when drops his voice, and this bit of knowledge is going to haunt him for the rest of the day.

"...Pizza?"

Keith agrees, and Shiro is looking forward to showering and burying under the covers of the bed as he stuffs his face with greasy pizza and exchanges messages with Matt as his favorite cartoon plays on the background. Matt and Katie are going to be his last threads of sanity and he needs to cling to them more than ever now.

He'd been expecting pepperoni or a simple margherita, but what he gets is parma ham and arugula, and gorgonzola and thinly sliced pears.

Rich people.

I gotta say that last bit of walking Kosmo and their conversation in that moment is my fav. You're gonna see a lot more of teasing Keith as I build it up, because I don't want to rush this, but fear not because Keith will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And yes that was some foreshadowing... of sorts.

As it's holiday season and I'm participating in Secret Santas and other events, the next update will probably be up on the second week of January. But we'll see. I like updating when the following chapter is done, so if I manage to finish the fourth, I can update earlier.

Next: they're going shopping babey

Thank you all for your lovely comments and support, and until next time!