Encounters (Muzan Kibutsuji x Fem. Reader)

Fifth Encounter

It was an excruciatingly slow day at the bookstore, probably no more than five customers had come in. You were currently sitting at one of the desks in the center of the shop with your head down, sleeping to the slow waltzing orchestra that was spinning on the record player. You hadn't heard the quiet sliding of the shoji and the light strides of Muzan as he entered the shop. Immediately finding that you weren't in your usual spot at the front of the store, he wandered into the maze of books to look for you. Arriving at the rows of desks in the center of the shop, he finally came across your sleeping figure.

The corners of his mouth lifted as he peered at your peaceful face. He quietly trod over to you, making sure not to wake you. As he neared, he stood watching you sleep, almost in a trance as he was amazed by your naivety. You trusted strangers to not harm you, as you obliviously slumbered in your vulnerable state. Luckily for you, Muzan had taken a particular interest in you over the past few weeks, leading him to feel somewhat protective of you. As he let his eyes linger on your figure, he took the seat that was next to yours. He then lifted a lock of your hair between his fingers and brought it to his nose, smelling it and letting its scent calm him. He continued to play with your hair, admiring its softness and aroma.

He then placed his hand on your upper back, slightly shaking you awake. You slowly and groggily greeted Muzan and asked what time it was. In reality, you calculated that you had only slept for about 40 minutes, leaving the shop unattended for not too long. The two of you exchanged greetings and you asked if you could help him with anything. He shook his head no and proceeded to venture off into the non-fiction sector of the bookstore. You shook yourself out of your fatigue and continued on with your closing duties. Thankfully there wasn't a great deal of foot traffic in the shop, so there wasn't much needed to do in order to restore its image.

As you completed each of your tasks, you couldn't help but slowly sway to the tunes emitting from the record player. Muzan returned to your company after he had found more books that he desired to read. He admired you from afar as your hips danced with the romantic music. Noticing his presence again, you boldly urged him to sway with you, beckoning him over. He joined your side, seemingly uninterested in dancing yet you knew he was putting up a front from the eager way he sauntered to you. You took his hand and yours and twirled yourself as the orchestra reached the bridge of the song. You quietly laughed to yourself at the sheer lack of effort Muzan was putting into the dance. 

He lightly scoffed at your behavior, challenging you as he grabbed your waist to continue dancing with him. You matched his intensity by putting your other hand on his shoulder, letting him guide you through the music. You danced and laughed and finally, he dipped you low to the ground as the music came to a slow stop. After Muzan pulled you back up to your feet, you couldn't hide the small blush that graced your cheeks. Trying to fix your hair now that it was tousled after dancing and the long day, Muzan remembered the gift he specifically bought for you. He quickly reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a small box. He said, "This may help you with your hair, It reminded me of you and I believe it matches your pair of pearl earrings." As he opened the box, he revealed to you a long hairpin with a simple yet elegant design, it most definitely cost a fortune. You shook your head, knowing you would fall too deeply into the debt of the man. You must deny the gift, knowing you couldn't possibly receive one as such. "It is quite beautiful, but I hate to admit that it pains me to receive any offerings by your hands. I fear I am too indebted to you." Muzan chuckled knowing you would make the argument but replied, "I have had this in my possession for far too long, it has no value to me, I only wish it were in the hands of someone who may put it to good use." You sighed in defeat, letting Muzan insert the pin into your hair, now successfully taming the frazzled tangles. 

You thanked him greatly then said, "I will one day have to repay you if I can ever accumulate the value of my debt. Now let us return to the front of the store, it is almost time for the shop to close, though I must say I have had the most fun dancing with you, I would love to do so again." Muzan simply nodded his head in agreement and gathered whichever books he had previously chosen to check out. You quickly stamped the insides of his books and gathered them all up into a pile he could easily carry home. You walked him to the entrance of the shop, thanked him again for the fun night and the gift, and bid him goodnight. As he stepped into the dark night, he uttered, "Goodnight doll, until next time," and began his journey to his presumed abode. His words left butterflies in your stomach as you hadn't felt this same excitement since you were young.

As you closed up shop and climbed the stairs of the building you resided in, you hadn't noticed the intense gaze that lingered and followed your every movement. Muzan yearned to be closer to you, to be the one closest to you. He wished for himself to occupy all of your attention and time. He would treasure and cherish you to his heart's extent, and he would do anything to do so.

A/N: Sorry it might be obvious I struggled with this chapter. As always thank you for reading.