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esp_dragonv2) wrote2020-01-31 02:34 am
esp_dragonv2) wrote2020-01-31 02:34 am
Give and Take [Part 1]
Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Kentas starts a new job as a bouncer, but there's something about the bartender...
Contains: Kentas/M-21.
Notes: Bartender!M-21 and bouncer!Kentas AU.
Thanks so much to madam aZure for all the help brainstorming this. :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: General
Word count: 1,649
Status: Work in progress
Kentas sighed, his breath misting in front of his face. It was a mild winter night - for him, anyway. A line of potential patrons were in front of him, and they were bundled up in multiple layers; some shivered as they waited, rubbing their arms or bouncing on their toes.
He eyed the pair in front of him and waved them in. A bit of cigarette smoke but no tang of drugs or weapons.
The next person though...
Kentas stuck his arm out, barring his entrance. The man was a head shorter than him, blond hair clipped short, showing off the array of piercings along his ears and brow.
"Hey! What gives?"
"No weapons," Kentas said, frowning.
The man's eyes widened for a second, before scowling and crossing his arms. "It's just a pocket knife. What, you robbing me before I step into your joint?"
Kentas held his hand out. "You can get it back when you leave."
"An' leave me all defenseless in there? What if I get attacked?"
Kentas had a feeling the man was the one who usually started the fight, bolstered by having a weapon with him. "That's why I'm here." There weren't many that would be able to take on a werewolf by themselves.
The man squinted at him suspiciously. "And if I don't give it?"
"Then you don't get in." It was that simple.
A muscle in the man's cheek clenched and he stood there for a second before he reached into his jacket and slapped the pocket knife into Kentas' hand. "Don't lose it or you'll regret it."
Kentas' eyebrow rose, seeing a switchblade not a pocket knife, but handed the man a laminated number, attaching its twin to the knife. "We won't lose it - you'll get it back when you return the number."
"Feh." The man shoved the number into his pocket and stomped in.
Kentas turned back to the people next in line, who stepped up to be inspected with a quick placating smile.
For his first night on the job, it had been quiet and maybe it would continue like that.
The night was still young though.
* * *
The line had dwindled to nothing, the people who wanted to be there already inside. Kentas had only needed to stop a handful of people going in when they refused to hand over their weapons or drugs - they'd stopped trying when he threw them clear over the heads of the other potential patrons.
The line went smoother after that happened.
Which meant the next part of his job was up, now that the patrons were filling themselves with alcohol.
Kentas settled himself next to the door, scanning the floor.
The room was abuzz with conversations and laughter, and that was fine. Kentas spotted the man who had brought the switchblade tucked away in the corner of the room, a few glasses already clustered around him. He didn't seem to be eyeing anyone, but Kentas made sure to remember where the man was to check on him later.
The purple long-haired bartender wasn't behind the bar anymore, replaced with a man with short silver hair.
Hn. Even from across the room, Kentas could see the scar that slashed down the man's lip. Someone who'd been in a rough fight and survived. Kentas couldn't tell if the man was a werewolf, not across a filled room but even with werewolf healing, attacks to the head were dangerous. If the man wasn't a werewolf and had survived an attack to the head? He was strong.
It was enough to make Kentas want to ask about it - but he could do that later. He had a job to do first.
* * *
"Awww, why don't you tell me about yourself?"
Across the dull roar of the patrons chatting amongst themselves, Kentas heard the question across the room.
It was from a lady sitting at the bar, but she was alone. That was weird - who was she talking to? Or was she drunk?
"Heeey, bartender, are you listening to me?"
Ah.
The silver-haired man was standing at the other side of the bar from her, cleaning glasses.
Kentas' hearing was good, but even then, he was sure the bartender should have been able to hear her. Was he ignoring her?
While Kentas watched, the bartender reached for a couple of bottles and mixed a drink, handing it to someone to his right, taking him even further away from the woman.
Kentas hadn't heard the order, so the bartender was definitely ignoring her.
Well... The bartender was doing his job. This was the first time Kentas had worked at a bar or been in one for any length of time, so maybe that was all bartenders were meant to do?
The woman turned away and that seemed to be the end of it.
Kentas kept an eye on the bar as he looked out around the rest of the floor - the bartender steered clear of the woman, only hovering around her area again once she left.
Hm.
Even after the woman had left, Kentas' gaze drifted back to the bartender every so often, watching him. He moved smoothly and confidently as he mixed the drinks, making Kentas wonder what he looked like when he fought.
Everything the silver-haired bartender did caught Kentas' interest. He would just have to be patient and wait until he could talked with him.
* * *
Kentas breathed out a deep sigh, the ice cold prickling the inside of his lungs. It was humid inside the bar and dull roar of the patrons was getting louder as they fought to be heard over each other. He kept the door propped open, in case something happened while he grabbed some fresh air.
It wasn't claustrophobic in there, but it was a mass of bodies pressed into a small space Kentas wasn't used to.
He looked over when he heard the door open and blinked, seeing the silver-haired bartender leave. The bartender carried with him the faint scent of cigarette smoke - it couldn't have come from inside the bar, but it wasn't strong enough to have come from the man either.
"Hey."
The man glanced at him, his lips pursing for a second. "Hey." The scar was deep enough that the skin hadn't been able to knit back fully, leaving a little valley in his skin, the edges jagged. Just what had he been hit with?
"I'm Kentas," he said, dipping his head.
The man was silent for a few seconds. "Min-gyu."
Kentas beamed.
Min-gyu turned away, patting himself down. "...Shit."
Huh? "What's wrong?" Though with the hints, there seemed to be one obvious answer. "Do you need a light?"
"That's what I'm avoiding," Min-gyu muttered, clicking his tongue. Ah, that explained why the smell was faint. "I'd rather a lollipop or a sweet," he said with a smirk.
Kentas dug into a pocket and pulled out a few brightly coloured wrapped sweets, offering them to Min-gyu.
Min-gyu's eyes widened for a second. "Huh, thanks." He took a lollipop and after unwrapping it, shoved it in his mouth with a sigh. "You're trying to quit too?"
Kentas shook his head. "I've got a bunch of siblings and cousins and they like them." It was easier to have a stash ready to hand out than waiting to buy them again after he'd run out.
Min-gyu smirked, the lollipop handle flicking to the other side of his mouth. "And it keeps them quiet."
"For a little while," Kentas said with a soft chuckle. Their faces lit up at the sight of the sweets and that was the important part.
He furrowed his brow, hearing raised sharp voices inside.
"You'll have a boring job here," Min-gyu said. "They don't get that rowdy too often."
"But often enough," Kentas said, waving at him as he slipped back inside.
Even with the buzz it was easy to see where the commotion was coming from, lights starting to dance around the pair as their voices rose even more. At this rate they were going to transform - it wasn't that much of a problem here since it was where supernaturals gathered, but once other forms were revealed in a fight, it usually ended in bloodshed.
"Oi," Kentas said, wading through, "is there a problem?"
"Yeah, there is!" the bigger man snapped, whirling on him. "He-" The man faltered, his eyes going wide as he tilted his head to stare up at Kentas.
"I spilled some of his drink when I bumped his elbow," the other man explained, "but he won't accept it was an accident."
The bigger man rounded on the other again, snapping, "I lost half my drink!"
Kentas eyed at glass in the man's hand - there had been two gulps drank from it at best. "And you want to lose the rest of your drink because of it?" From either starting a fight or getting thrown out.
The bigger man worked his mouth, glaring for a second before wilting. "Look where you're going next time," the man grumbled before slinking off, clutching his drink protectively.
"Thanks," the other man said with a relieved smile.
Kentas watched both of them as they walked off, but they seemed content to stay away from each other and not trying to continue the argument.
Good.
When Kentas looked across, Min-gyu was back behind the bar again. Damn. He'd have to talk to him later.
This is mostly finished with four parts, but I've only been poking at it while editing. So I'm hoping that posting the first part will force me to kick my butt into editing properly rather than...not...doing that and then not posting the rest. 8')
Summary: Kentas starts a new job as a bouncer, but there's something about the bartender...
Contains: Kentas/M-21.
Notes: Bartender!M-21 and bouncer!Kentas AU.
Thanks so much to madam aZure for all the help brainstorming this. :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: General
Word count: 1,649
Status: Work in progress
Kentas sighed, his breath misting in front of his face. It was a mild winter night - for him, anyway. A line of potential patrons were in front of him, and they were bundled up in multiple layers; some shivered as they waited, rubbing their arms or bouncing on their toes.
He eyed the pair in front of him and waved them in. A bit of cigarette smoke but no tang of drugs or weapons.
The next person though...
Kentas stuck his arm out, barring his entrance. The man was a head shorter than him, blond hair clipped short, showing off the array of piercings along his ears and brow.
"Hey! What gives?"
"No weapons," Kentas said, frowning.
The man's eyes widened for a second, before scowling and crossing his arms. "It's just a pocket knife. What, you robbing me before I step into your joint?"
Kentas held his hand out. "You can get it back when you leave."
"An' leave me all defenseless in there? What if I get attacked?"
Kentas had a feeling the man was the one who usually started the fight, bolstered by having a weapon with him. "That's why I'm here." There weren't many that would be able to take on a werewolf by themselves.
The man squinted at him suspiciously. "And if I don't give it?"
"Then you don't get in." It was that simple.
A muscle in the man's cheek clenched and he stood there for a second before he reached into his jacket and slapped the pocket knife into Kentas' hand. "Don't lose it or you'll regret it."
Kentas' eyebrow rose, seeing a switchblade not a pocket knife, but handed the man a laminated number, attaching its twin to the knife. "We won't lose it - you'll get it back when you return the number."
"Feh." The man shoved the number into his pocket and stomped in.
Kentas turned back to the people next in line, who stepped up to be inspected with a quick placating smile.
For his first night on the job, it had been quiet and maybe it would continue like that.
The night was still young though.
The line had dwindled to nothing, the people who wanted to be there already inside. Kentas had only needed to stop a handful of people going in when they refused to hand over their weapons or drugs - they'd stopped trying when he threw them clear over the heads of the other potential patrons.
The line went smoother after that happened.
Which meant the next part of his job was up, now that the patrons were filling themselves with alcohol.
Kentas settled himself next to the door, scanning the floor.
The room was abuzz with conversations and laughter, and that was fine. Kentas spotted the man who had brought the switchblade tucked away in the corner of the room, a few glasses already clustered around him. He didn't seem to be eyeing anyone, but Kentas made sure to remember where the man was to check on him later.
The purple long-haired bartender wasn't behind the bar anymore, replaced with a man with short silver hair.
Hn. Even from across the room, Kentas could see the scar that slashed down the man's lip. Someone who'd been in a rough fight and survived. Kentas couldn't tell if the man was a werewolf, not across a filled room but even with werewolf healing, attacks to the head were dangerous. If the man wasn't a werewolf and had survived an attack to the head? He was strong.
It was enough to make Kentas want to ask about it - but he could do that later. He had a job to do first.
"Awww, why don't you tell me about yourself?"
Across the dull roar of the patrons chatting amongst themselves, Kentas heard the question across the room.
It was from a lady sitting at the bar, but she was alone. That was weird - who was she talking to? Or was she drunk?
"Heeey, bartender, are you listening to me?"
Ah.
The silver-haired man was standing at the other side of the bar from her, cleaning glasses.
Kentas' hearing was good, but even then, he was sure the bartender should have been able to hear her. Was he ignoring her?
While Kentas watched, the bartender reached for a couple of bottles and mixed a drink, handing it to someone to his right, taking him even further away from the woman.
Kentas hadn't heard the order, so the bartender was definitely ignoring her.
Well... The bartender was doing his job. This was the first time Kentas had worked at a bar or been in one for any length of time, so maybe that was all bartenders were meant to do?
The woman turned away and that seemed to be the end of it.
Kentas kept an eye on the bar as he looked out around the rest of the floor - the bartender steered clear of the woman, only hovering around her area again once she left.
Hm.
Even after the woman had left, Kentas' gaze drifted back to the bartender every so often, watching him. He moved smoothly and confidently as he mixed the drinks, making Kentas wonder what he looked like when he fought.
Everything the silver-haired bartender did caught Kentas' interest. He would just have to be patient and wait until he could talked with him.
Kentas breathed out a deep sigh, the ice cold prickling the inside of his lungs. It was humid inside the bar and dull roar of the patrons was getting louder as they fought to be heard over each other. He kept the door propped open, in case something happened while he grabbed some fresh air.
It wasn't claustrophobic in there, but it was a mass of bodies pressed into a small space Kentas wasn't used to.
He looked over when he heard the door open and blinked, seeing the silver-haired bartender leave. The bartender carried with him the faint scent of cigarette smoke - it couldn't have come from inside the bar, but it wasn't strong enough to have come from the man either.
"Hey."
The man glanced at him, his lips pursing for a second. "Hey." The scar was deep enough that the skin hadn't been able to knit back fully, leaving a little valley in his skin, the edges jagged. Just what had he been hit with?
"I'm Kentas," he said, dipping his head.
The man was silent for a few seconds. "Min-gyu."
Kentas beamed.
Min-gyu turned away, patting himself down. "...Shit."
Huh? "What's wrong?" Though with the hints, there seemed to be one obvious answer. "Do you need a light?"
"That's what I'm avoiding," Min-gyu muttered, clicking his tongue. Ah, that explained why the smell was faint. "I'd rather a lollipop or a sweet," he said with a smirk.
Kentas dug into a pocket and pulled out a few brightly coloured wrapped sweets, offering them to Min-gyu.
Min-gyu's eyes widened for a second. "Huh, thanks." He took a lollipop and after unwrapping it, shoved it in his mouth with a sigh. "You're trying to quit too?"
Kentas shook his head. "I've got a bunch of siblings and cousins and they like them." It was easier to have a stash ready to hand out than waiting to buy them again after he'd run out.
Min-gyu smirked, the lollipop handle flicking to the other side of his mouth. "And it keeps them quiet."
"For a little while," Kentas said with a soft chuckle. Their faces lit up at the sight of the sweets and that was the important part.
He furrowed his brow, hearing raised sharp voices inside.
"You'll have a boring job here," Min-gyu said. "They don't get that rowdy too often."
"But often enough," Kentas said, waving at him as he slipped back inside.
Even with the buzz it was easy to see where the commotion was coming from, lights starting to dance around the pair as their voices rose even more. At this rate they were going to transform - it wasn't that much of a problem here since it was where supernaturals gathered, but once other forms were revealed in a fight, it usually ended in bloodshed.
"Oi," Kentas said, wading through, "is there a problem?"
"Yeah, there is!" the bigger man snapped, whirling on him. "He-" The man faltered, his eyes going wide as he tilted his head to stare up at Kentas.
"I spilled some of his drink when I bumped his elbow," the other man explained, "but he won't accept it was an accident."
The bigger man rounded on the other again, snapping, "I lost half my drink!"
Kentas eyed at glass in the man's hand - there had been two gulps drank from it at best. "And you want to lose the rest of your drink because of it?" From either starting a fight or getting thrown out.
The bigger man worked his mouth, glaring for a second before wilting. "Look where you're going next time," the man grumbled before slinking off, clutching his drink protectively.
"Thanks," the other man said with a relieved smile.
Kentas watched both of them as they walked off, but they seemed content to stay away from each other and not trying to continue the argument.
Good.
When Kentas looked across, Min-gyu was back behind the bar again. Damn. He'd have to talk to him later.
This is mostly finished with four parts, but I've only been poking at it while editing. So I'm hoping that posting the first part will force me to kick my butt into editing properly rather than...not...doing that and then not posting the rest. 8')