—kobayashi & quiche (have returned ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ ))

[miss kobayashi]

nao paused, watching the other anxiously reply to the other. he slowly nodded his head, satisfied with the other's answer. " good. because if you do, you're done. gone. and you'll need to find a way to pay for my heirloom on your own. and if you're as poor as I think you are, you won't be able to pay me back in your lifetime. " for some reason, he couldn't help but still feel slightly guilty, once again for lying through his teeth. maybe he wouldn't of felt as bad if the other wasn't poor, and he had exaggerated the value of the heirloom a little bit. even if he was poor, he probably could afford it, but that wasn't something nao was going to bring up now, or ever. he dipped his head down and sighed, before glancing back up and running a hand through his hair. " jesus, people need to learn to keep their mouth shut. " he muttered under his breath, walking past the other and moving to the staircase. " come on, poor boy. " nao half-heartedly mumbled, strolling carefully down the staircase, his hand gently gripping onto the handrail.

nao had wandered downstairs and into his kitchen. and although it was beautiful, and about twice the average size of a regular kitchen, he rarely used it. not only did nao not know the first thing about cooking, he hadn't bothered to hire anyone to cook for him. on the average day, he usually went out to eat or ordered from a private vendor. nao went to the fridge, pulling it open and grabbing a bottled water from the fridge. he placed the bottle of water onto his forehead, hoping to ease some of the pain from his now pounding head──what he was assuming now was a hangover. after the pain had ceased slightly, he twisted off the cap and took a swig from the bottle.

[quiche cat!]

taiyo stood his ground as nao passed, mumbling something indecipherable. should he be worried about what the other had said? maybe. but, having been around the man for a few hours already and picking up bits and pieces of his personality, taiyo concluded it had probably been something haughty. better to forget about it than to dwell. obeying his summons, the younger man made his way down the stairs, making sure to keep a decent amount of distance between them in fear of further ticking nao off. it was quite the surprise when they stepped into the kitchen; it was huge! grand! clean! taiyo's eyes sparkled as he took in his surroundings, instantly falling in love with the gorgeous appliances. if he lived here, he'd cook every minute of every day—which was an exaggeration, but what wasn't an exaggeration was that he loved to cook and bake. he wasn't half-bad, either; he'd only ever received compliments on his food, no matter who he'd made it for.

could it be that nao wanted to hire him as a chef? to make him luxury meals day in and day out? if that was his idea of payment, then things weren't going to be so bad after all! taiyo's mood lightened, so gleeful that it was hard to believe he'd been drunk and crying just a few hours before. "did you want me to cook for you? i may be poor, but i know my way around a kitchen." the man hadn't said it to sound snotty, he was simply telling the truth! wealth and status had nothing to do with skills, though nao might think otherwise. if that was the case, then taiyo would just have to prove him wrong. standing in the middle of the kitchen, he turned to face nao, watching as he stooped to take a water bottle from the fridge. ah. now that he thought about it, he was... a little thirsty. and a little hungry.

[miss kobayashi]

nao set the bottle down onto the counter, glancing at taiyo, who seemed to be astonished by just the looks of his kitchen. sure, it had been stocked with basic ingredients, something his mother would push him to keep──something that every successful person would make sure they had for guests. but it was nothing more than decoration for him, something he had only to be pleasing to the eye. he raised a curious eyebrow when taiyo offered to cook for him. he hadn't even considered it. the other looked so excited the idea, as if a poor boy would have any need to be good at cooking. he hadn't expected the other to be so pleased at the idea of cooking for him. " no. " nao replied flatly.

he hadn't had a home cooked meal since... well, since... ah, he couldn't bring himself to think about it. it had been a while, that was all. who needed that, anyways? not when he could go out to any restaurant he wanted in the city and order anything he wanted. who would need someone to put their time into making a meal that he would feel obligated to like. not to mention that a poor boy was offering to make it, someone who didn't know what he liked or didn't. he probably worked at fast food or something, which was probably why he 'thought' he was good at cooking. " if I wanted someone to cook for me, i'd hire a professional. " he then added, resting his arms against the counter.

[quiche cat!]

a professional, huh? too bad. taiyo had never even worked at a fast food restaurant. "hmm, alright." there was no use pushing the offer any further, since it would end up getting shot down again. he'd been rather blunt with his first response, but taiyo had brushed it off, far too elated to let some grumpy man ruin his good mood. as he glanced around the kitchen he realized how awkward he looked standing smack dab in the middle of the room, but he'd feel even more awkward wandering around to get a closer look at things, as much as he wanted to. he'd already trespassed enough for one night, even if it wasn't the trespassing that had gotten him in trouble.

taiyo's gaze finally settled on nao, who was resting comfortably against the counter. wait, was this it? did he want taiyo to follow him around like a puppy? was that the payment? ah, but he shouldn't get too far ahead of himself—after all, nao had never explicitly stated that, so he shouldn't be assuming things... but it was so hard not to! the other hadn't said a word about the payment, not a peep. the anxiety of what horrible thing nao could be thinking up was killing him! maybe he wanted taiyo to bring it up himself? was he that kind of guy, trying to make the offender feel even more guilty? "so... if it's not cooking, what did you want me to do?" his eyebrows furrowed as he spoke, revealing his perplexion with what the purpose was in coming to the kitchen. just so nao could get a drink? was that it?

[miss kobayashi]

" what? " for a moment, whether it was battling against his intense headache or now thinking about what he wanted to eat, he had forgotten completely about taiyo, and the fact that he was still here. god, was this taking too much effort? should he just drop the whole thing and kick this poor boy out? then again... his compass was still destroyed, the shattered remains dumped in the trash. no, this is the least that poor boy could do. " oh, yeah. I need you to be my housekeeper for a little while. to get my parents off my back. " he replied, moving from out of the kitchen and towards his main living room.

" it's easy. you just clean the rooms, do the laundry, and tidy up after the parties I throw. stuff like that. " although he had said it was easy, and although he had little to no experience in actual cleaning, he knew that calling the job easy was a stretch. he had several rooms, and fairly habitually made a mess──as his old maid would attest. " you did it pretty fast this morning, so I assume that a poor boy like you would be up to the task. " didn't most poor people work in the cleaning industry anyway? wasn't that a fact? he hadn't bothered to ask if the other already was working, but assumed if he did, if something of the sort.

[quiche cat!]

"housekeeper?" taiyo echoed, trailing after the man as he exited the kitchen. well, it wasn't as good as being a personal chef, but of course he would do it! this was payment, after all, and he had no room to complain about what nao decided. at least he was being kind enough to offer the poor boy a job rather than demanding money from him. that, at least, was very considerate. "i-- yes, i would be up to the task! i won't let you down!" hopefully. he'd have to see how hard it was to please the other, since he seemed a bit lacking in the expression department. had he ever said a nice word to a person other than himself? if he did, had he meant it? taiyo felt like anything he did would be subpar (but what was new?).

but there was a problem. a rather large one, if he might add: due to his house-hopping habit, taiyo didn't have a place to stay! it seemed horribly wrong to ask for favors, especially being in this situation, but it had to happen. "but, there is one... problem..." as he spoke he halted a few steps away from the man, glancing around at the living room that he had familiarized himself with earlier that night. "well, it isn't a problem... kind of?" yes, it was a problem, it was just hard to admit. he usually avoided asking for help with things like this. "could i stay here? it would be more efficient, is all i'm saying! since i could clean right away, and all." once he'd gotten it all out he peered shyly up at nao, praying for a half-way positive response.

[miss kobayashi]

nao grimaced at the boy's determination." fantastic. " he muttered, a tone laced with resentment. at that point, nao was ready to leave──he would typically go out and buy food, despite his stocked fridge──and leave the boy to go home and return tommorow... or finish today? what time was it, anyways? having no job to worry about in the mornings and no classes in the daytime made for a pretty boring schedule. it wouldn't have mattered, anyways, had it not been for the boy's──taiyo's, insistance on staying here, at his house.

efficient? what a joke. he had dealt with a fair share of freeloaders who had spent enough time being his 'friend' to try to stay at his house or cheat him out of money. if taiyo hadn't been in debt, he would've never even considered the idea. but...this was the first time he had actually looked the other over. he had a typical hairstyle, plain looking, almost nothing about taiyo really stood out for him, besides his soft features. his whole face, especially his eyes, were exceptionally warm and bright, a sort of innocent feel one wouldn't expect to see at his age. perhaps, maybe with the right clothes and grooming, he could look well enough to be a live-in housekeeper without arousing suspicion──or worse──looking anything below exceptional. after a moment of staring, he turned his head, letting out an unsatisfied huff. " you can stay in any of the rooms on the first level. " following a short pause, he continued. " but, if you stay here, you have to follow my rules. "

[quiche cat!]

the boy's worry was all for naught. although, considering nao's previous outburst after taiyo had mentioned he who shall not be named—he'd sworn to never bring it up again, at least in front of the other, so it still felt wrong to even think about the name in nao's presence—it was no wonder that he'd expected a fiery response. it would be no surprise to find out that the rich guy was already fed up with the poor guy who'd broken his family heirloom, so taiyo had tried to carefully read nao's features to at least catch a glimpse of his expression. that seemed to be the only way to mentally prepare for another outburst that might leave the younger man in tears, considering his innocent demeanor and the fact that he, too, was suffering from a hangover. and, now that he was thinking about his hangover, he was thinking about how nice a cool glass of water would be... or food! any food sounded splendid right about now. what time was it, anyways? he couldn't think straight, so aside from the lingering effects of alcohol, it must be insanely early in the morning.

taiyo didn't really take nao's staring personally. was he sizing him up? trying to figure out if he looked decent enough to fit in at this extraordinary mansion? or maybe he recognized the colorful, oversized sweater he was currently wearing, which actually belonged to... he who still shall not be named. whatever the reason, it was short-lived, and nao's exasperated response was more important than a little harmless staring. taiyo's eyes lit up, and to prevent a stupid smile from spreading across his lips, he bit the insides of his cheeks. he wasn't thrilled with the idea of staying here in this rich stranger's humongous house, but rather he was pleased that nao had been nice enough to let him stay to pay off his debt. it truly made things easier, since taiyo would've had to deal with finding a house close enough, as well as transportation to get to the mansion. now he'd—unfortunately—be present at nao's every call and beckon.

rules? fine! every household had its rules, and hearing that this one did too made it seem a little more ordinary. it was comforting, to say the least. "o-of course, i'll follow them!" again, he'd do anything to repay nao and to remove this guilt from his conscience. taiyo fiddled with the bandages on his hands as he maintained eye contact with the other, hesitant to find out what, exactly, those rules were. "what are they?"

[miss kobayashi]

he hadn't ever actually had a guest that he willingly let live in his house before, even after living there for a couple years now. moving away was mainly a defiance against his father, who expected him to move back after university to their home again. since then, people from all sort of standings, celebrities, musicians, anyone of wealth and power, had come to his house, but none had ever stayed, besides those who were black out drunk from the night before. it felt odd, although he couldn't quite place the feeling of idea of living with someone else. nao brushed it off. it was only temporary, after all, until he paid off the debt of the compass. for now... all he had to do was set up some ground rules, to make sure that poor boy wouldn't get any ideas while he was staying here. rules... rules... his gradually worsening headache was making it hard for him to think clearly. why, of all days, did this happen after such a bad hangover? he usually was able to hold his liquor quite well. if it hadn't been for that incessant girl who continued to annoy him all night to the point that he had to drink to tolerate her.

" first, " he started, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. " you'll clean the house daily, including the laundry, upstairs and downstairs levels, sweeping, dusting, mopping──anything that my old maid did. " nao, in fact, born with a silver spoon in his mouth didn't entirely know all the details to cleaning a house, but assumed a poor boy would have a better idea. " you aren't allowed in my bedroom if i am in there, but clean it when i am gone. you are not allowed to ask me about my past──better yet, try not to ask me questions at all if you can help it. if you do, you will address me as mr. maruyada. do not tell anyone you live here, let alone invite anyone to my house. " for a moment, there was a pause as nao noticed the bandage wrapped around taiyo's hand. it had to have been from the cut, but nao did put him through work even after his injury. he would give taiyo some time to heal so that he could do work more efficiently in the future. " break anything else of mine, and it will be added onto your debt. understand, poor boy? " nao added with a soft glare towards the other, making it clear that he was the alpha. he would be sure to make taiyo's life a living hell if he were to break any one of his rules.

[quiche cat!]

so taiyo wasn't simply a housekeeper; he was a fill-in for the old maid (although someone else might've thrown a fit at the generally condescending title, he was happy to have finally earned a job title). what had happened to said maid, the boy was curious to know, but at the same time, fear of making the same mistakes that had gotten her fired quenched his interest. maybe it was better to stray away from losing his job—again—and instead focus on staying on nao's good side and fulfilling his tasks as this mansion's new maid. this was a new episode in his life! even if he wouldn't be making money for himself, he would still be making money, and for that he was thankful.

then again, he wouldn't even be in this predicament if he hadn't gotten drunk and stumbled into the wrong room at the wrong time...

...but the deed had—accidentally—been done. there was no turning back, and taiyo wasn't the type to run off without repaying a debt!

taiyo's head bobbed up and down throughout the others lecture, peeling his eyes away from him to peek around at the living room once again. well, for starters, he didn't know what nao's old maid did... but he'd figure it out, since he obviously wasn't getting any more direction from mr. rich. he noted the bedroom situation, deciding that was a reasonable rule, as well as the whole "mr. maruyada" thing. his next request, keeping the living arrangement a secret, might pose a problem only because, well, mukami was nosey. taiyo was going to have to come up with something believable to fool his clever—yet stupid—friend. "understood." he chirped out a terse response, ready to go and shut himself in the first room he came upon, when a pang in his stomach reminded him of his growing hunger. "actually, nao-- er, mr. maruyada! I know you just told me not to, um, ask questions..." ...but he was going to ask a question. "but may i... use your kitchen? I'll clean up after myself!" please say yes please say yes please say yes. maybe if he chanted that phrase hard enough, his wish would come true.