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esp_dragonv2) wrote2020-02-14 12:08 am
esp_dragonv2) wrote2020-02-14 12:08 am
Give and Take [Part 3]
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: 2,268
Total word count: 6,284
Status: Work in progress
Kentas narrowed his eyes, watching the man who had braced his hands on the bar. The man leaned in and showed far more teeth than before as he spoke. Whatever the man was saying, it couldn't be heard over the roar of everyone else. Min-gyu wasn't reacting or looking at the man, which seemed to anger the man more.
Kentas made his way over but before he reached them, the man drew his arm back and Kentas hissed, seeing the pint glass he was holding. There were too many people in the way to stop him in time!
The room silenced when the glass shattered against the wall. Only the wall. Min-gyu had dodged.
And had lunged forward, grabbing the man by the hair and slammed his head against the counter.
"You fuck!" the man roared, arms flailing, but there was nothing else nearby he could reach. "You think you can steal my girl, huh?"
That was what this was about? Kentas took a quick glance around to check if anyone was joining the fray but there was a neat bubble around the man. Kentas grabbed the man by the nape and collected his wrists.
Min-gyu hadn't let go of the man yet and when Kentas looked at him, Min-gyu's eyes glowed a soft silver, his pupils narrowed to slits. His lip was curled and Kentas' skin prickled, feeling someone weighing down their aura. It wasn't the man's - he barely had any presence, his aura flaring up for a second before flickering and dying like a matchstick flame under the force of the other aura.
There was only one person the aura could be from.
"Min-gyu?"
Min-gyu's attention snapped to him and all at once Min-gyu stepped back, his eyes back to normal. The pressure of the aura disappeared as well. Hn. Interesting.
Kentas hauled the man up so the man could only kick out as his feet dangled a foot off the ground.
A path opened up for Kentas as he carried the still struggling man out. Someone followed Kentas and when he looked over his shoulder, it was a woman, her eyes darting towards the man and then giving quick apologetic bows to everyone watching. Must be the man's partner.
Kentas threw the man out, crossing his arms as he stood at the doorway. The lady ducked past, going towards the man.
The man scrambled to his feet, ignoring the woman as he glared at Kentas. "Lemme back in!" he demanded, but he stayed where he was, not taking a step closer. "I'll kick his ass!" Someone who had a lot of bark but not enough strength backing him to try to attack someone fairly. Not someone who would be interesting to fight.
"If you're worried about him...stealing her," Kentas said, which he doubted Min-gyu would want to, from how he'd seen Min-gyu react, "then don't come back." Then they wouldn't have to deal with them again.
"We won't!" The man straightened his jacket as he stomped away. "The drinks're shit anyway!"
Which was why they'd come in the first place, of course. Kentas watched the pair leave (though it seemed more like the lady was trailing a bit behind the man than beside) and they didn't seem intent on returning.
The bar was muted when he went back inside, people sharing nervous glances but as more people saw him, the volume picked up again.
"You all right?" Kentas asked Min-gyu, who snorted as he moped up the remains of the man's drink.
"I can handle myself." He didn't seem shaken and his breathing was normal.
"Yeah, I saw," Kentas said, a small smile curling his lips. The hint of Min-gyu's strength had only increased Kentas' interest in him.
Min-gyu glared at him, making him blink. What?
"Uhm, I'll get back to keeping an eye on things if you don't need any help," Kentas said, straightening.
"I'm fine." His glare didn't fade.
All right... Kentas retreated, making sure he could see everyone as best as he could and the door in case the man tried to return.
Min-gyu didn't like being told he could handle himself in a fight? It wasn't a compliment, just a fact.
Kentas mulled over it as he watched over everyone.
* * *
Kentas didn't know what Min-gyu was. He could normally identify a general idea of what a supernatural was, but he'd never gotten a hint of what Min-gyu was even after the weeks he'd known him.
But Min-gyu was definitely supernatural. There were a few pure humans who entered the bar, but Kentas could pick them out with ease. Min-gyu wasn't human. He couldn't be, not when he'd been on the verge of transforming earlier.
The only information Min-gyu's scent gave him was the faint hint of cigarette smoke. It was as if there was nothing there.
...Was he a ghost? Kentas had never touched Min-gyu, but Min-gyu could make drinks, and he'd stopped the man so Min-gyu had some physical presence...
Kentas shook his head. Did it matter? Knowing what someone was helped in a fight, to know how his opponent might move, but Min-gyu didn't seem interested in sparring with him. Which was a shame but... That was how it was. He couldn't force Min-gyu to spar. It was just a fight if the other person wasn't interested. Kentas sighed.
His thoughts settled, Kentas continued his watch over the bar.
* * *
There was a protein bar on the counter when Kentas reached it during cleaning. He furrowed his brow. He hadn't given Min-gyu anything today.
"You said you preferred something more equal," Min-gyu said.
Min-gyu remembered what he'd said last time? "But what did I do?" Something small, but still needed. Nothing came to mind.
Min-gyu didn't say anything for a few seconds. "For stopping the fight."
Kentas furrowed his brow more. That was it? "That's my job - it's what I'm here for."
Min-gyu shrugged.
Kentas glanced at the protein bar again before he pushed it towards Min-gyu. "I can't accept this. I'm already being paid to do that."
Min-gyu stared at him. "Are you fucking serious?"
"Yeah?" Was it that surprising? He hadn't earned it by doing more than he was supposed to.
Min-gyu didn't say anything for a few seconds, frowning. "Fine." He took the protein bar and pocketed it.
Huh. Had Min-gyu bought it specifically to give to him?
No, he would probably have it later.
Kentas turned back to continue cleaning.
* * *
Tao's sneeze echoed throughout the entire bar.
"You should go back home," Min-gyu said as he wiped down the bar.
"But I jus' got 'ere! I haven't seen you all in days!" Tao protested, his ears flat. His voice was thick and croaky. "An' I'm not that sick." He sniffed and then wrinkled his nose. "Okay, so I might need a tissue. But I'm not sick."
Takeo shared a look with Min-gyu, who nodded.
"Oi oi oi, you two're scheming," Tao said, backing up a step. "Only I'm allowed t'do that. Kentas, help me out here!" He turned pleading eyes towards Kentas. "I'm fine, really! It's just a sniffle, nothing big."
Err. Kentas knew what to do in a fight - he had no idea what to do in this situation.
"I'm just going to take Tao home," Takeo told him, sweeping Tao up into a bridal carry.
"Nooo! I object t'this scheme!" Tao wriggled and flailed his arms but couldn't escape Takeo's grasp as Takeo walked over to the door.
"Is...it always like that?" Kentas asked after the door closed behind the pair. Tao's protests could still be heard through the wall.
"With Tao, yeah."
Oh. "Will Takeo be gone for long?"
"Tao's on the other side of the city so there's no point him coming back," Min-gyu said, starting to sweep again.
Kentas nodded, getting back to cleaning. It would take a little longer since they'd lost Takeo and Tao, but that was all right. He wasn't doing it alone.
* * *
There was a shot glass waiting for Kentas as he finished up.
Min-gyu raised an eyebrow when Kentas glanced at him.
"I didn't do anything," Kentas protested. He hadn't given Min-gyu any sweets or thrown anyone out that night, so what was this for?
"You stayed behind and didn't complain," Min-gyu said.
"Huh? Why would I complain?" Cleaning wasn't that much more work and he'd done that every time after the bar had closed already.
Min-gyu didn't say anything for a few seconds before sighing. "That's exactly why you should accept the drink."
Was there something he didn't know? A bar rule he hadn't heard of?
"You're..." Min-gyu frowned. "You do things without thinking if someone could be taking advantage of you. You trust too easily. So...the drink is a thank you for helping more than you should have."
Kentas studied Min-gyu, trying to understand what he was saying. "How could Takeo helping Tao be taking advantage of me?" He couldn't wrap his head around that way of thinking.
"Because-" Min-gyu crossed his arms, sighing. "-Takeo could have done that and left us with twice the amount of work while he did none."
"Hnn... If one of us is sick, then we cover for them, because we'll be sick one day and they'll cover for us." It would eventually come around. And he hadn't wanted Tao to try to get home alone while he was ill.
Kentas mulled over his next thought. "You didn't complain either, so you trusted you weren't being taken advantage of as well."
"But that's because-" Min-gyu pursed his lips, glaring.
"You know them?" A small smile curled Kentas' lips. "I might not know them that well, but I know you enough to trust your judgement, and you trust them to not take advantage of you." Min-gyu spoke his mind - he'd had lots of opportunities to speak out and he hadn't.
"You trust my judgement, huh?" Min-gyu muttered.
"Yeah."
"So that means you trust me?" Min-gyu glowered at him with a challenging stare.
Kentas blinked. "Well, yeah?" Min-gyu hadn't done anything that said he wasn't trustworthy.
Min-gyu snorted and turned away.
Kentas tried to puzzle out the meaning of Min-gyu's response as he drank, but couldn't come up with anything solid. Min-gyu thought he wasn't trustworthy?
* * *
"Really?"
Min-gyu was talking to someone on the bar phone as Kentas entered the bar.
"Yeah, it can't be helped," Min-gyu said. He snorted. "I can survive one night alone." His gaze slid towards Kentas and Kentas paused. Did Min-gyu need something? "Kentas is here anyway, so nothing will happen. ...Yeah, stay in bed and don't catch anything else."
"Takeo's ill?" Kentas said when Min-gyu hung up. That seemed to be the most likely person on the other side.
"Yeah," Min-gyu said, sighing. "Probably caught it off Tao."
Oh, damn. "It'll be easier since it's not the weekend." It would be less busy then.
Min-gyu nodded.
* * *
The dull roar inside the bar seemed louder than usual and Kentas could hear an angry undercurrent to it as people clustered around the bar. Normally it would have been a quieter night, but it looked like someone was having a leaving party, taking up several tables.
Kentas collected empty glasses from tables, scanning around for any more.
"How long are you going to make us wait?"
"Sang-mi's going to have started her new job by the time we get our drinks!'
"Forget that - we'll be dead and have grandkids before we get our drinks!"
Kentas frowned, shooting a glance at the bar. Min-gyu was working as fast as he could by himself. There was intense look on Min-gyu's face as he poured out the drinks, handing them out and collecting money. He didn't react to the muttered complaints, though Kentas didn't expect him to.
Kentas brought over the glasses, Min-gyu nodding to him as he passed.
"Sh-!"
Kentas heard the squeak of something slipping along the floor. When Kentas turned, something glinted as it fell towards the floor but it shattered before he could see what it was.
"You all right?" Kentas asked, seeing Min-gyu's pale face, grabbing a dish towel and throwing it over the shards. He couldn't smell blood, but Min-gyu was frozen, his eyes wide.
"Fine," Min-gyu said, staring at the spill, his breathing quick and shallow. "I'm fine."
Kentas couldn't smell alcohol and he spotted a metal cap still attached to a smashed bottleneck. Min-gyu's cologne bottle?
"It's. Fine," Min-gyu said through gritted teeth, his entire body stiff like he was bracing himself for a blow. "Go collect more glasses and ff-" He cut himself off with a click of teeth. With squared shoulders, Min-gyu threw down a dish towel on the spill that escaped the first one and went to where the dustpan was kept.
"...All right." Min-gyu hadn't been hurt but his reaction seemed off for what happened.
Kentas backed off to not get underfoot when Min-gyu returned, a barely concealed scowl on his face.
Had the bottle meant something important to him...?
The reason why this part was giving me problems was because of the fight scenes. 8l The last part was originally planned to have a fight scene, and then after not being able to get it out and putting it off until the last minute... I realised it didn't have to be a fight.
Good times. 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: 2,268
Total word count: 6,284
Status: Work in progress
Kentas narrowed his eyes, watching the man who had braced his hands on the bar. The man leaned in and showed far more teeth than before as he spoke. Whatever the man was saying, it couldn't be heard over the roar of everyone else. Min-gyu wasn't reacting or looking at the man, which seemed to anger the man more.
Kentas made his way over but before he reached them, the man drew his arm back and Kentas hissed, seeing the pint glass he was holding. There were too many people in the way to stop him in time!
The room silenced when the glass shattered against the wall. Only the wall. Min-gyu had dodged.
And had lunged forward, grabbing the man by the hair and slammed his head against the counter.
"You fuck!" the man roared, arms flailing, but there was nothing else nearby he could reach. "You think you can steal my girl, huh?"
That was what this was about? Kentas took a quick glance around to check if anyone was joining the fray but there was a neat bubble around the man. Kentas grabbed the man by the nape and collected his wrists.
Min-gyu hadn't let go of the man yet and when Kentas looked at him, Min-gyu's eyes glowed a soft silver, his pupils narrowed to slits. His lip was curled and Kentas' skin prickled, feeling someone weighing down their aura. It wasn't the man's - he barely had any presence, his aura flaring up for a second before flickering and dying like a matchstick flame under the force of the other aura.
There was only one person the aura could be from.
"Min-gyu?"
Min-gyu's attention snapped to him and all at once Min-gyu stepped back, his eyes back to normal. The pressure of the aura disappeared as well. Hn. Interesting.
Kentas hauled the man up so the man could only kick out as his feet dangled a foot off the ground.
A path opened up for Kentas as he carried the still struggling man out. Someone followed Kentas and when he looked over his shoulder, it was a woman, her eyes darting towards the man and then giving quick apologetic bows to everyone watching. Must be the man's partner.
Kentas threw the man out, crossing his arms as he stood at the doorway. The lady ducked past, going towards the man.
The man scrambled to his feet, ignoring the woman as he glared at Kentas. "Lemme back in!" he demanded, but he stayed where he was, not taking a step closer. "I'll kick his ass!" Someone who had a lot of bark but not enough strength backing him to try to attack someone fairly. Not someone who would be interesting to fight.
"If you're worried about him...stealing her," Kentas said, which he doubted Min-gyu would want to, from how he'd seen Min-gyu react, "then don't come back." Then they wouldn't have to deal with them again.
"We won't!" The man straightened his jacket as he stomped away. "The drinks're shit anyway!"
Which was why they'd come in the first place, of course. Kentas watched the pair leave (though it seemed more like the lady was trailing a bit behind the man than beside) and they didn't seem intent on returning.
The bar was muted when he went back inside, people sharing nervous glances but as more people saw him, the volume picked up again.
"You all right?" Kentas asked Min-gyu, who snorted as he moped up the remains of the man's drink.
"I can handle myself." He didn't seem shaken and his breathing was normal.
"Yeah, I saw," Kentas said, a small smile curling his lips. The hint of Min-gyu's strength had only increased Kentas' interest in him.
Min-gyu glared at him, making him blink. What?
"Uhm, I'll get back to keeping an eye on things if you don't need any help," Kentas said, straightening.
"I'm fine." His glare didn't fade.
All right... Kentas retreated, making sure he could see everyone as best as he could and the door in case the man tried to return.
Min-gyu didn't like being told he could handle himself in a fight? It wasn't a compliment, just a fact.
Kentas mulled over it as he watched over everyone.
Kentas didn't know what Min-gyu was. He could normally identify a general idea of what a supernatural was, but he'd never gotten a hint of what Min-gyu was even after the weeks he'd known him.
But Min-gyu was definitely supernatural. There were a few pure humans who entered the bar, but Kentas could pick them out with ease. Min-gyu wasn't human. He couldn't be, not when he'd been on the verge of transforming earlier.
The only information Min-gyu's scent gave him was the faint hint of cigarette smoke. It was as if there was nothing there.
...Was he a ghost? Kentas had never touched Min-gyu, but Min-gyu could make drinks, and he'd stopped the man so Min-gyu had some physical presence...
Kentas shook his head. Did it matter? Knowing what someone was helped in a fight, to know how his opponent might move, but Min-gyu didn't seem interested in sparring with him. Which was a shame but... That was how it was. He couldn't force Min-gyu to spar. It was just a fight if the other person wasn't interested. Kentas sighed.
His thoughts settled, Kentas continued his watch over the bar.
There was a protein bar on the counter when Kentas reached it during cleaning. He furrowed his brow. He hadn't given Min-gyu anything today.
"You said you preferred something more equal," Min-gyu said.
Min-gyu remembered what he'd said last time? "But what did I do?" Something small, but still needed. Nothing came to mind.
Min-gyu didn't say anything for a few seconds. "For stopping the fight."
Kentas furrowed his brow more. That was it? "That's my job - it's what I'm here for."
Min-gyu shrugged.
Kentas glanced at the protein bar again before he pushed it towards Min-gyu. "I can't accept this. I'm already being paid to do that."
Min-gyu stared at him. "Are you fucking serious?"
"Yeah?" Was it that surprising? He hadn't earned it by doing more than he was supposed to.
Min-gyu didn't say anything for a few seconds, frowning. "Fine." He took the protein bar and pocketed it.
Huh. Had Min-gyu bought it specifically to give to him?
No, he would probably have it later.
Kentas turned back to continue cleaning.
Tao's sneeze echoed throughout the entire bar.
"You should go back home," Min-gyu said as he wiped down the bar.
"But I jus' got 'ere! I haven't seen you all in days!" Tao protested, his ears flat. His voice was thick and croaky. "An' I'm not that sick." He sniffed and then wrinkled his nose. "Okay, so I might need a tissue. But I'm not sick."
Takeo shared a look with Min-gyu, who nodded.
"Oi oi oi, you two're scheming," Tao said, backing up a step. "Only I'm allowed t'do that. Kentas, help me out here!" He turned pleading eyes towards Kentas. "I'm fine, really! It's just a sniffle, nothing big."
Err. Kentas knew what to do in a fight - he had no idea what to do in this situation.
"I'm just going to take Tao home," Takeo told him, sweeping Tao up into a bridal carry.
"Nooo! I object t'this scheme!" Tao wriggled and flailed his arms but couldn't escape Takeo's grasp as Takeo walked over to the door.
"Is...it always like that?" Kentas asked after the door closed behind the pair. Tao's protests could still be heard through the wall.
"With Tao, yeah."
Oh. "Will Takeo be gone for long?"
"Tao's on the other side of the city so there's no point him coming back," Min-gyu said, starting to sweep again.
Kentas nodded, getting back to cleaning. It would take a little longer since they'd lost Takeo and Tao, but that was all right. He wasn't doing it alone.
There was a shot glass waiting for Kentas as he finished up.
Min-gyu raised an eyebrow when Kentas glanced at him.
"I didn't do anything," Kentas protested. He hadn't given Min-gyu any sweets or thrown anyone out that night, so what was this for?
"You stayed behind and didn't complain," Min-gyu said.
"Huh? Why would I complain?" Cleaning wasn't that much more work and he'd done that every time after the bar had closed already.
Min-gyu didn't say anything for a few seconds before sighing. "That's exactly why you should accept the drink."
Was there something he didn't know? A bar rule he hadn't heard of?
"You're..." Min-gyu frowned. "You do things without thinking if someone could be taking advantage of you. You trust too easily. So...the drink is a thank you for helping more than you should have."
Kentas studied Min-gyu, trying to understand what he was saying. "How could Takeo helping Tao be taking advantage of me?" He couldn't wrap his head around that way of thinking.
"Because-" Min-gyu crossed his arms, sighing. "-Takeo could have done that and left us with twice the amount of work while he did none."
"Hnn... If one of us is sick, then we cover for them, because we'll be sick one day and they'll cover for us." It would eventually come around. And he hadn't wanted Tao to try to get home alone while he was ill.
Kentas mulled over his next thought. "You didn't complain either, so you trusted you weren't being taken advantage of as well."
"But that's because-" Min-gyu pursed his lips, glaring.
"You know them?" A small smile curled Kentas' lips. "I might not know them that well, but I know you enough to trust your judgement, and you trust them to not take advantage of you." Min-gyu spoke his mind - he'd had lots of opportunities to speak out and he hadn't.
"You trust my judgement, huh?" Min-gyu muttered.
"Yeah."
"So that means you trust me?" Min-gyu glowered at him with a challenging stare.
Kentas blinked. "Well, yeah?" Min-gyu hadn't done anything that said he wasn't trustworthy.
Min-gyu snorted and turned away.
Kentas tried to puzzle out the meaning of Min-gyu's response as he drank, but couldn't come up with anything solid. Min-gyu thought he wasn't trustworthy?
"Really?"
Min-gyu was talking to someone on the bar phone as Kentas entered the bar.
"Yeah, it can't be helped," Min-gyu said. He snorted. "I can survive one night alone." His gaze slid towards Kentas and Kentas paused. Did Min-gyu need something? "Kentas is here anyway, so nothing will happen. ...Yeah, stay in bed and don't catch anything else."
"Takeo's ill?" Kentas said when Min-gyu hung up. That seemed to be the most likely person on the other side.
"Yeah," Min-gyu said, sighing. "Probably caught it off Tao."
Oh, damn. "It'll be easier since it's not the weekend." It would be less busy then.
Min-gyu nodded.
The dull roar inside the bar seemed louder than usual and Kentas could hear an angry undercurrent to it as people clustered around the bar. Normally it would have been a quieter night, but it looked like someone was having a leaving party, taking up several tables.
Kentas collected empty glasses from tables, scanning around for any more.
"How long are you going to make us wait?"
"Sang-mi's going to have started her new job by the time we get our drinks!'
"Forget that - we'll be dead and have grandkids before we get our drinks!"
Kentas frowned, shooting a glance at the bar. Min-gyu was working as fast as he could by himself. There was intense look on Min-gyu's face as he poured out the drinks, handing them out and collecting money. He didn't react to the muttered complaints, though Kentas didn't expect him to.
Kentas brought over the glasses, Min-gyu nodding to him as he passed.
"Sh-!"
Kentas heard the squeak of something slipping along the floor. When Kentas turned, something glinted as it fell towards the floor but it shattered before he could see what it was.
"You all right?" Kentas asked, seeing Min-gyu's pale face, grabbing a dish towel and throwing it over the shards. He couldn't smell blood, but Min-gyu was frozen, his eyes wide.
"Fine," Min-gyu said, staring at the spill, his breathing quick and shallow. "I'm fine."
Kentas couldn't smell alcohol and he spotted a metal cap still attached to a smashed bottleneck. Min-gyu's cologne bottle?
"It's. Fine," Min-gyu said through gritted teeth, his entire body stiff like he was bracing himself for a blow. "Go collect more glasses and ff-" He cut himself off with a click of teeth. With squared shoulders, Min-gyu threw down a dish towel on the spill that escaped the first one and went to where the dustpan was kept.
"...All right." Min-gyu hadn't been hurt but his reaction seemed off for what happened.
Kentas backed off to not get underfoot when Min-gyu returned, a barely concealed scowl on his face.
Had the bottle meant something important to him...?
The reason why this part was giving me problems was because of the fight scenes. 8l The last part was originally planned to have a fight scene, and then after not being able to get it out and putting it off until the last minute... I realised it didn't have to be a fight.
Good times. 8')