The King and I (Asgore X male reader)

First Day on the Job

   The air is frigidly cold as it brushes the back of your neck. You turtle your neck so the collar of your jacket covers it as much as possible. You still have your backpack and all your work in it. You didn't want to go home as you're already a bit late to the flower shop today. You had texted Asgore of your schedule before you had gone to school, so he knew to expect you, but your mom still doesn't know about your arrangements. You simply texted her that you were going to do your homework at the library, hoping that was enough.
   As you walk through the town, you start to worry of what might happen if she were to find out that you were working for a monster. She had made it pretty clear yesterday that she had no intention of being anywhere near some other sentient race of creatures. You wonder how she would react, what she would do or say. She would most likely try to sever your connections with Asgore. You can't help but shiver at the thought. Asgore may be really handsome, but he wasn't any old human. He was a being you only ever thought existed in fairy tales! You're convinced by this point that no human could ever be like Asgore, or any monster for that matter.
   As you round the corner of a building onto Church Street, you see a few cars parked in the small lot next to the shop. Looks like Asgore already has some customers. You get to the door of the flower shop and open it. The bell above the door jingles as you enter, making Asgore peer above the heads of his customers to see who it is. You give a small wave to him as he excuses himself from the people in front of the counter. He comes over to you, hands clasped.
   "(Y/N)!," He says happily, "I'm very glad you've come. To be honest it's quite a relief. A large group of buyers just left and I'm in a bit of a tight squeeze. Could you keep up the flowers in the back? I've got to help these few humans out."
   You nod, taking in what Asgore has told you. Quickly, he returns to the counter and you hurry to the flower room. Dropping your backpack in the corner next to a chair, you look at the flowers. None seem to have wilted at all, which is a relief. You look up at the large skylight. The sun isn't getting through the clouds very well, but you'll have to assume that the plants have gotten all the light they need. You go to a nearby line cupboards in a long counter top. Opening them one by one, you rummage through each to find a watering can.
   "Bingo," you say as you find one in the last cupboard. The can is empty, so you fill it at a sink in the opposite wall. You can still hear Asgore talking to customers, naming species of flowers, telling prices. You set the can in the deep sink and turn the cold water on. While it noisily fills, you can just hear the welcome bell sound and peek out through the curtains into the shop and see many more customers than before.
   "God, didn't know flowers were *this* popular," you say to yourself quietly. You step out behind the counter next to Asgore who is packaging up a customer's purchase.
   "You managing?" You ask the big goat-man. He looks at you a gives a half-smile saying, "How are the flowers doing? We'll need to restock the shelves very soon."
   You duck your head back into the flower room. The water still isn't visible at the top of the watering can, but you guess it's full enough.
   "Okay. I'm on it," you reply as you go to the sink and turn it off. The watering can is less than halfway full, but is still heavy enough to make you notice it's weight. It's a tedious task carefully watering every plant just the right amount. You hope you're not drowning any. After the watering is done, quickly check the soil of all the flowers just to make sure none of them are loose.
   You re-enter the shop and see some people leaving, parcels in hand. Asgore is alone by the shelves when you say to him, "Hey, I watered all the flowers and checked that they were all firm. None are wilting at all, so is it okay to start putting them on shelves?"
   "Yes, that would be best," replies Asgore as he heads to the flower room, "Can you mind the counter?"
   You nod confidently, "Sure."
   Asgore disappears behind the curtains and you are left to tend the cashier's place. The counter has lots of pencils and a notepad on it along with the register. You are looking around at the shelves when a man looking to be in his mid forties or older enters the building. He takes a moment to observe the flowers on display for purchase before stepping up to the counter and asking, "Excuse me, do you have any Dailias left in stock?"
   "Uh, let me check real quick," you say as you look for any kind of list with stock written down. You don't see any so you duck down and search under the counter. On it's one shelf, you see a price of paper with messy scribbles on it. You reach to take it before you see note on the shelf. The writing looks very elegant and clean. On it you read the following:

   "Asgore,
          The child and I have decided to move out of town. I cannot ensure Frisk's safety on busy streets such as this, so we will be moving to a rural location--"

   The customer clears his throat loud enough for you to hear. You try to stand up but bump you're head on the underside of the counter.
   "Oh shi...uh, are you okay there?" The man asks in concern. You stand up and say, "Yeah, I good. Sorry about that."
   You look at the paper of messy writing in your hand and see that the number "1" is scribbled under the "Dailia" column.
   "Actually, you're really lucky," you say to the man, "There's still a Dailia left. I think it might be on one of these other shelves." You walk to a shelf and pick out the correct flower. As you go to package it, Asgore comes back through the curtains and brushes by you as he asks, "How is everything?"
   "Fine," you reply quickly before you realize you don't know how the register works and say, "Actually, I can't, uh..."
   "Oh, right," Asgore takes you're meaning and starts to converse with the customer on the price. You stand beside Asgore and package the Dailia with care as you hand it to the man. The man pays and accepts the flower. After saying his thanks, he turns and exits the shop.
   You look up at Asgore who says, "The flowers are all taken care of. I've had to speed up the growth a bit, but we can use this small bit of down time to restock the shelves."
   "Ya know, you weren't kidding when you said this shop gets busy," you comment.
   "And you see why I need your help. I find myself a little overwhelmed at times."
You both chuckle. You're already starting to love this work, however hectic it may be at times.
   "What time do we close up?" You ask, remembering that you need to be home before dark. Asgore glaces up at the clock above the door and says, "Around 6:45 is when I try to close up shop."
   You nod and tell him "I should be back home right at that time, so I'll probably head out at 6:30."
   "Alright, then," Asgore answers as he enters the flower room. He comes back out with many flowers of different colors and hues. They all seem to be in full bloom, unlike before. You help him sort out and place all the flowers on the shelves as you chat about small things here and there. Once done, the clock reads 6:24 pm.
   "Well, uh, I should be on my way now," you tell Asgore. The large monster wishes you a good night, saying, "Thanks again, (Y/N), you really are a great help to me."
   You smile and are about to leave when you stop abruptly.
   "Oh wait! My backpack!"
   "Oh, I'll get it," Asgore offers and disappears again behind the curtains. He returns with your backpack in hand and hands it to you. You purposefully brush his soft, warm hand with yours as you take your pack. Asgore gives a friendly chuckle. The two of you say your goodbyes and you leave through the glass shop door.
   The cool evening air fills your lungs and you realize your breathing is very heavy. You can't help it, he's just so hot! You have to remind yourself that he's most likely straight, but that thought leads you to the note you saw under the counter. You hadn't had the time to read it, but knew that it was for Asgore from someone he knew. You remembered the name Frisk. Wasn't that the child who freed the monsters from the underground? If so, then that was interesting. Apparently, Frisk lived with someone who knew Asgore and was moving out of town. That someone may be Asgore's ex-wife. The thought makes you shiver a bit, though you're not quite sure why. All you know is that your first day on the job was a massive success. You're very happy...but that note keeps nagging at your mind.