princess

The familiar brick exterior of your favourite café soon came into view, tucked neatly between two taller buildings. You slowed, scanning the lot until you spotted an empty parking space near the front. Sliding into it with ease, you turned off the engine and sat there for a brief moment, the radio cutting into silence. With a quiet sigh, you grabbed your things, stepped out of the car, and locked the door behind you before heading inside.

The moment you pushed open the café door, warmth enveloped you. The rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans mixed with the sweet scent of baked pastries, wrapping around you like a welcome hug. Cinnamon, sugar, and something buttery lingered in the air. Your stomach growled in response, a clear reminder that breakfast had been completely forgotten in the rush of the morning.

Soft chatter floated through the café, blending with the hiss of the espresso machine and the quiet clink of ceramic cups. The familiar sounds settled around you as you stepped up to the counter, instantly easing you into the moment.

The boy behind the counter looked up and broke into a wide smile the second he spotted you.

“(Name)! Morning,” he greeted easily, already reaching for a cup. “The usual?”

Your expression brightened without you even realizing it. You nodded as you slipped some cash from your pocket, setting it on the counter.

“Morning, Taiga,” you said with a small smile. “Yeah, the usual and a muffin sounds perfect.”

You slid the money onto the small tray at the counter, and Taiga scooped it up with practiced ease before counting out your change. He placed the coins back down with a soft clink, already grabbing a marker. Without even glancing at the receipt, he wrote your name across the cup, his movements confident. You’d been coming here long enough that this was second nature to him.

“Should be ready in a few minutes,” he said, flashing you another easy smile before turning back to the machine.

You nodded in thanks and made your way toward an empty table near the window. Dropping into the chair, you pulled out your phone and checked the time. Forty minutes. More than enough. Enough to breathe, at least.

Your thumb drifted across the screen as you scrolled, skimming through emails and replying to a handful of unread messages from friends and family. Then one name stopped you cold.

Uncle Toshinori.

You hesitated, staring at the screen. The last time you’d spoken to him was New Year’s, a brief exchange filled with polite updates and well-wishes. The last time you’d seen him in person, though… you were ten years old. That was before you left the family farm, before everything changed.

Curiosity, and something deeper you couldn’t quite name, nudged you forward as you tapped on the message.

Before you could read a single word, a familiar voice cut through the café noise.

“(Name)!”

You looked up just in time to see Taiga holding out a paper bag with your muffin inside in one hand and the other holding your drink, steam curling gently into the air. With a small start, you pushed back your chair and stood, slipping your phone into your pocket as you crossed the room.

“Thanks,” you said, offering a polite smile as you took the bag and cup from him.

Cradling the warmth in your hands, you headed for the door and stepped back outside, the bell chiming softly behind you.

….

Sitting at your desk in your office, you press the power button on your computer and wait for the screen to flicker to life. The quiet hum of the machine fills the room as you straighten a few loose papers scattered across your desk. Once everything loads, you dive straight into work, opening documents and beginning to fill them out one by one. Numbers, notes, and reminders blur together as you settle into the familiar rhythm.

You’re midway through typing when there’s a knock at the door. Before you can respond, the door opens anyway, just like it always does.

“Morning, Mei,” you say casually, not bothering to look up from the screen. You already know who it is.

“Morning, boss!” Mei chirps back, her voice bright and energetic as ever.

She steps into the room with her tablet tucked under one arm and stops in front of your desk, already looking ready to start talking. You finish typing out the last of the documents and save your work before finally lifting your gaze to meet hers.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” you ask, leaning back in your chair. You take a slow sip from your drink, the warmth settling in as you let out a small sigh.

“Well,” Mei starts, glancing down at her tablet as she scrolls, “you’ve got a planning meeting at nine about the community outreach project. After that, there’s a budget review at ten thirty. Lunch is free.”

She pauses briefly, then continues, “In the afternoon, you’re meeting with Monoma to go over reports, and later you’ve got a call with Mr Yoshida about finalizing the event details for next month.”

She finally looks up at you, waiting for a reaction.

You nod slowly, already bracing yourself as the list sinks in. It’s going to be packed. Your shoulders relax just a little as you lean back, but mentally you’re already sighing.

With a quiet sigh, you stand from your desk and step out of your office, the door closing softly behind you. Mei immediately falls into step beside you as you head down the hallway, your pace steady but tired. The familiar sounds of the building fill the space around you as you make your way toward the front desk.

Your receptionist notices you approaching and her eyes widen. She straightens up almost instantly, hands stiff at her sides. “M-morning, boss,” she says, voice a little shaky.

“Morning, Hana,” you reply gently. You have a soft spot for her. At only seventeen, she is easily startled and far too nervous for a job that puts her at the front of everything. “Were there any changes to the nine o’clock meeting?”

Hana nods quickly and turns back to her computer, fingers flying across the keyboard as she double checks. After a moment, she shakes her head.

“No. Everyone is still on board.”

“Thank you,” you say with a small nod before continuing on.

A few steps later, you pause and turn toward Mei. “Mei, could you go check that everything is ready? I really do not want anything going wrong today.”

Mei grins and gives you a playful salute. “You got it, boss,” she says before hurrying off down the hall.

You watch her go for a moment, shaking your head with quiet amusement.

After a few more minutes pass, you grab your laptop and phone before making your way to the boardroom to get everything set up. The room is quiet for now, the long table empty as you place your things down and take a moment to organize yourself.

Not long after, Mei pops back in, practically bouncing on her heels with a wide grin. “Everything is ready!”

You look up and give her a small, appreciative smile. “Thank you, Mei.”

“No problem, boss,” she says, flashing you a thumbs up before heading back out of the room.

Left alone, you glance around the boardroom and let out a quiet hum, already feeling the weight of the hours ahead.

It’s going to be a long day, you think to yourself.

….

“Ughhh, I’m finally home.”

The words tumble out as soon as you step inside. Your work bag slips from your hand and hits the floor with a heavy thud. You kick off your shoes and slide them neatly into the getabako before stretching your arms above your head, a tired groan escaping you as your back cracks in a few satisfying pops.

You bend down to grab your bag again, holding it in one hand while the other rubs at your aching eyes. With slow, dragging steps, you make your way up the stairs toward your bedroom, every movement reminding you just how long the day really was.

Pushing the door open, you’re greeted by the soft glow of the city lights outside, shining against the dark night sky beyond the windows. It’s a nice view, but you’re too exhausted to linger on it. You drop your bag onto the bed and head straight for the connected bathroom, already craving the comfort of a hot shower.

The heat does wonders. By the time you’re done and your nightly skincare routine is finished, you feel a little more human. You step back into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, damp hair hanging over your shoulders. The thought of blow drying it feels like too much effort right now.

You sit down on the edge of your king sized bed, facing the window. Taking a deep breath, you finally allow yourself to slow down and really look out through the floor to ceiling glass, the city stretched out below you in a quiet, glowing blur. For the first time all day, you feel at peace.

Although…

Your gaze drifts back to your bag resting near the bed. After a moment, you lean forward and reach for it, fingers digging inside until you find your phone. You pull it out, the screen lighting up as you unlock it, and open your messaging app.

Your thumb scrolls slowly down the list of contacts, past familiar names, until you find the one you have been avoiding all day.

Uncle Toshinori.

The name seems to stare back at you. You hesitate, then finally tap on it, opening the chat. Your eyes lower to the message you never got the chance to read earlier.

Hello sweetheart. How are you? Just wanted to check up on you and see how my favourite niece is.

A small snort escapes you. I’m your only niece, you think to yourself.

You keep reading.

I also wanted to tell you that a horse race is coming up and wanted to know if you wanted to come watch. Like old times.

Your eyes widen slightly, your breath catching for just a second, but you continue scrolling.

I know I haven’t been in your life as much as I would’ve liked. But I do hope you’ll consider coming. It would be nice to see you again and have you back on the farm, even if it’s just for a little while. I know you’re probably busy, so take your time thinking about it.

At the end of the message is a smiley face, slightly awkward but sincere.

You stare at the screen, phone resting loosely in your hand, memories you haven’t thought about in years slowly rising to the surface as the city lights glow quietly behind you.

♛ Taglist:

@loserbee14 , @snowwolfraintw, @jakiicomics, @kirishimaeijiromyman , @teeesthings , @tlissablr , @shoujobae, @its-a-snowflake, @blackrockshooter780 , @aizawasprettykitty , @eijiromelissa12

Written by: @kab-OO-m

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Moving to a new city was difficult. This much you figured out when you'd moved to Busan six months ago. Even with a job and an apartment, things seemed to still be stressful no matter how much you tried to settle in.

There were upsides to the move, though. Getting a coffee before work had seemed to slip into your routine as it did for many. Even if it would cost far less to make your favorite drink at home, it was a habit you weren't breaking any time soon. The atmosphere of a coffee shop was too pleasant to give up, and the coffee tasted marginally better.

It helped that there was this guy that worked there. The first time you'd seen him was the first time you were in the shop, so you were too busy getting yourself oriented to process just how beautiful he was. But every time you'd seen him since, you couldn't help but stare as he made your order.

His pretty smile whenever he saw you, the way his eyes would almost shut and make him look like a fox, was so endearing. He'd memorized your name by the second week of your attendance, and your regular order by three weeks. When you'd walk up to the register, he'd look like he was thinking really hard and guess a drink, sighing dramatically if he got it wrong.

Your days seemed to be noticeably worse on the days you'd get your morning drink and he wasn't there working. You knew that, of course, he was a man with a life and couldn't work every morning. But that didn't stop you from being bummed out about it. You'd yearn to see him almost all day, which made the next time you did that much sweeter.

Any friend you'd talked to since had gotten an earful about the cute barista you saw all the time. The day you learned his name, Jeongin, you might've typed it into your phone five hundred times in texts. For such a cute and endearing man, his name was equally amazing.

The way you obsessed over him almost made you feel like you were in school again. You could picture it: writing his name next to your own in the margins of your notebook with hearts around it. In truth, it was just a little barista crush. Maybe one day you'd shoot your shot, but it wasn't at the top of your priority list.

Maybe you were a little too blinded by love in the moment to notice, but the amount you were spending on coffee had gone down in the last few weeks. You didn't pinpoint the cause being from your coffee budget, so it surprised you when you'd finally figured out what was going on.

It was a day like most others. The late spring warmth was in the air, getting your final taste of the season before summer began. Just like you had every day, you got ready for work and went to the coffee shop.

Stepping inside hit you with the smell of fresh coffee grounds. The soft ambient music playing set you almost instantly into a state of comfort as you looked behind the bar to see a familiar figure. He was looking intently down at the latte art he was pouring out, so you couldn't see his face. You knew it was Jeongin.

Staring at him made you realize just how soft his hair looked. Maybe he bought a new conditioner? Either way, you stepped closer to the counter and watched as his steady hands carefully poured the white cream into the coffee mug. When you really squinted, you could make out that he was making a cute little bear face.

Just as he had finished the design and slid the mug out, calling out the customer's name, he looked up at you and grinned. You felt your stomach stir with butterflies as your eyes met. He waved a little hello as he walked with you over to the register.

"Good morning, Jeongin," You said as you smiled, your eyes looking over his name tag. The writing on it looked done by hand, and it made you wonder if it was his handwriting.

Jeongin briefly looked down at the register, tapping on the screen a few times before looking up at you again. "Good morning, y/n. How are you?"

"I'm not so bad," You shrugged, "Same as always, I guess. How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, actually! I'm moving into a new apartment soon. Got the contract all set and the deposit made," Jeongin explained, "Kind of exciting."

A flurry of questions spun through your head. You took a moment before asking, "A new apartment? Will you still be here in Busan, making coffee?"

Jeongin waved his hand, "Yeah, I'll still be around, don't worry. The new place will actually be closer to the shop," He grinned and looked you in the eye, "I'm not leaving you behind."

Your face flushed a little, but you sighed a little out of relief. "That's good to hear, I wouldn't trust anyone else to make my drink like you do."

Jeongin laughed and shook his head. "Well, I'm not going to be a barista forever.. I hope you'll find a way to cope with that."

"Don't remind me," You said wistfully, "What will I ever do without your expertise before I go to work?"

You could see him flash a look for a moment, as if he had something to say, before stopping and sighing. "I guess we'll see."

Deciding not to pry, you continued on. "Well, I guess you'll need to make my drink today to make me forget that you won't work here one day."

"I can do that," Jeongin tapped the register screen a few more times before you saw your order pop up on the small screen. You took out your card and looked up at the balance before watching it change as he pressed a button.

The price had fallen to half of what it originally showed as. Jeongin looked up at you like everything was normal, but your face only reflected confusion. Looking from the price and back to him a few times, you finally spoke up. "Wait, what did you just do?"

"Hm?" Jeongin furrowed his brows for a second, "What do you mean?"

"The price, it.." You pointed at it, your voice trailing off into nothingness. You weren't crazy, right? "What did you do to it?"

Jeongin paused for a few seconds before chuckling softly to himself. "You just now noticed?" You stared at him blankly until he continued, "I've been giving you my employee discount for like, three weeks."

You were dumbfounded, to say the least. You'd noticed you had a little more money than you expected to, but you hadn't put the pieces together as to why that was. "Why would you do that?" You asked.

He simply shrugged his shoulders and looked down for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe you're my favorite customer."

The outright admission took you by surprise and you couldn't help the smile that crept onto your face in response. "Am I really?"

"What if you are?" He looked up again and met your eyes. His voice sounded a little more confident, but you could notice a slight shake in the end.

You didn't really know what to do with that information. It would certainly explain why he'd done it, but that opened up a whole new avenue of questions. You simply inserted your card to pay for the drink, looking up at him. "That would be.. nice."

His eyes looked uncertain. You could see that he was looking at you for something, but it wasn't clear what it was. He took a breath and watched the transaction go through. He opened his mouth for a second to say something before stopping.

Leaving you hanging, Jeongin picked out the cup for your drink, writing on the order details and beginning to make it at his work station. Still confused, you decided to just watch him work as always. He was strangely precise in everything he did, always making your drinks look pretty and taste great.

You got a little lost in watching his hands work that he was pushing your drink out to you before you knew it. You snapped back into reality, seeing that he had a smile on his face as you picked up the cup with your drink. Taking a sip, you smiled at the taste. Perfect.

"Have a good day, y/n." Jeongin said as he wiped down his work station and finally turned away from you. You were positively bursting with questions but the interaction seemed to abruptly be over, so you walked towards the door while taking another sip.

As you went to take a drink, you noticed writing under your finger that seemed out of place. Moving your hand, you looked at the words in sharpie and couldn't help but laugh. Your heart stirred, turning back at Jeongin, who was totally looking back at you.

You always wondered why he never put rings on that finger, he'd always wear the flashiest diamonds and most intricate exspensive golds on his hands however solely refused to take up space on his hand.

He likes looking exspensive so why didnt he add another?

"Could it be?" The thought flashed your mind. Maybe he leaves it bare because hes reserving it for a wedding ring.. You thought.

Its the right hand and the right finger is he really that type of man? To hold him in high enough proper standarts to avoid using jewlery for that purpose alone. The thought made you blush a little.

"How modest of him.." you giggled.

"What is?" A voice from the shadows erupted, gleaming brown eyes reflecting sunlight.

"Oh nothing.." you kept smiling.

"Go on i'm waiting." He waited, stepping out of the shadows he leaned back in his chair white smoke lingering from his cigar.

"I don't think youre interested in old fashion modesty, are you?" You leaned on the table beside him scooting over some of his papers.

"Who knows, is this the reason youre acting like a school girl?" His answer was as dry as sand.

"Not really no." You lied looking at the way he puffed his cigar. Every finger coated in gold except one huh.

"In any case get off the table i have work to do." He demanded making you push yourself off the wodden desk.

Not to assume but was he avoiding your questioning?

You smiled to yourself for the last time nearing his door until you stopped. He didnt ask you to leave like he usually does, you dared to test your limits trying to overstay your welcome you headed for the large bookshelf grabbing out a book.

Crocodiles eyes followed you slowly watching what youre doing, not like he cared but somehow it was nice to have company for once. He thought.

You knew how dismissive and heardheaded this man was, how little he trusted those around him and not to mention how hard was it to even begin to make him talk to you like two proper adults not wanting to kill eachother.

You flipped the book on its back reading the introduction of it then you pried open the first page starting to read.

A while passed eventually Crocodile butted out his cigar cutting it with a neat machine for another use.

Some time passed as you were now on the fiftieth page of the book enticed in the story it told, until you looked over his direction. He was sitting silently filing out paperwork ,somehow he looked a little at peace, not guarded a bit relaxed. It was a refershing sight.

You gently smiled at the view and with a poof your book came to a close. You didnt want to disturb him so you got up quietly putting the book back ,your feet nearing the door out of his office.

In the back of your head you could feel a gaze, he was eyeing you again. The question seemed to bother him a little.

You opened the door and before he got to annoy you more with his dry and uninformative answers you headed out.

You made your way to the kitchen many floors below his office, asking the chefs at his casino for some hot water and tea.

"Whats the occasion las'?" The cook asked unusual of you to order anything here.

"Oh you know, showing some courtesy to the big bad man."

"Hmm i see, take this in that case.

He offered you a small bag filled with crumpled up leaves no doubt tea, with a bit of a crunch you opened it, nose filling with the scent of ginger and florals.

"Do you mind if i get some utensils and hot water with it?"

"Not at all, here you go kid." the man replied offering you a nice tray with some sugar lemon and a tiny flower in an even tinier vase.

"How cute.." you observed the little flower.

"Think he's the type to care for flowers?"

"Dont think so, but if you are keep the water changed every few days, should bloom beautifully." he added trying not to talk about his boss all too much.

The flower was maybe a bit bigger than a timy rock, a very floral white it had for petals, you wanted to nurture it and see it bloom.

Making your way back into his office you put down the tray on the book-table the tiny flower dangling in the middle of it.

"Care for some tea?" You offered politley. Hearing nothing.

Back to his old self again?

Crocodile was so much in the zone he actually didnt even notice you entering as this was a very important contract he had to decide on, he was wondering about expanding the casino buisness for a while now however not in the same town or country.

You poured yourself two cups of tea the aroma of ginger filling the air around you. You placed a few sliced of lemon on the side of the cupholder and a pair of sugar cubes, not knowing how he likes his tea you prepared for the occasion anyway.

"Thanks." He kept reading the contract.

You paused for a second, giving the authorative male a quick glance, he wasn't even focused on his surroundings he spaced out so much that he of all people thanked for tea from you.

You slightly chuckled daring to press your hand against his shoulder before walking off a second time.

He felt the warmth on his side however still too distracted with the contract to care.

"In order of offering our land in the country of-" he stopped focusing. He had been reading far too much and all these logistics were making his brain aggitated. He lit the cigar taking the cup in hand didnt bother with sugar or lemon. He admired the taste afterall he picked it for the mènu.

"I wouldnt call it modesty," He exhaled a cloud of weak smoke, "This one's reserved for something better than gaudy jewelry."

"Theres something better than gold for you?" you piqued not expecting him to start talking about feelings what so ever.

"Mm." his voice rumbled deep in his chest, it was interesting how little yet how much he can exspose you to his inner world.

You smiled understandingly, "Cheers to that." You drank in odd silence, Crocodile held something back that day.

- 5 days later -

You had taken care of the flower everyday watering it putting it in shade and in the sun making sure to relish the hard work and consistency you gave it.

Ah if only work could be this easy.

Thankfully your errands dropped before you had the chance to start them, you didnt ask about it either, happily taking the day off.

It was around midday, you were busy continuing the book and all of a sudden the sound of metal on wood alerted you, something fell..

You got up to check, still rolling right under the beautifully bloomed flower layed a slim gold ring.

Your eyes wide as how it got in the room in the first place you picked it up setting it on your finger for experimentation. It fit at best your middle finger however once switching one over it slided on perfectly not willing to budge.

"Hmm, this is nice." you liked how it looked, chique but extrordinary something about it made you like it more and more.

Few knocks and no wait for an answer the door opened the tall figure welcoming himself in.

"Anything wrong?" you asked him.

"No, simply sweeping the perimiter, i seem to have lost something." he looked at you.

"?" you stared stupidly at him.

"Maybe it was this?" You showed you hand to him the golden ring sitting on your ring finger perfectly.

"Got married or are you just bragging?"

Your face flushed. "W-What neither i just found this thing in my room."

He hummed staring at you, hand reaching for his cigar you noticed the spot on his hand that was empty a few days before was now enticed in a simple thick wedding band.

"Youre joking right?" you were shocked.

"What."

"Well hello something better than gold? but its there anyway."

"It's different." He calmly stated taking your hand in his, he kissed your knuckle leaving you speachless.