Hi Hehe Can I Request A Shy Reader That Owns A Bakery And Mikey Walks In One Day Soaking Wet From The

hi hehe can I request a shy reader that owns a bakery and mikey walks in one day soaking wet from the rain, so the reader fussed over him before offering sweets :0? - 🔆

A.N: Hi there!

Thank you for the request.💙💛

I hope this was something that you had in mind, and that you will like this. Enjoy 💙💛

Update: Now PART 2

Title: Taiyaki for the Soul

Pairing: Manjiro x Reader 

Genre: Fluff |Warning: some angst since I chose Bonten Mikey | Words: 4.5K

The weather wasn’t getting better, so your decision, to let your cashier home early seemed like the right call. You would hate it if the poor older woman had to walk to her bus in such horrific conditions. It was the type of weather no one should be left outside and given the lack of customers inside your small bakery and on the street behind the large windows, it seemed most of the people really took that advice. 

You played with the business card near the register for the last half hour arranging them across the small plate they were usually placed for customers to see and pick them up if they felt like it.

It was overall a boring day due to the rain, and it seemed like you even might end up closing early and going home yourself when your eyes caught some sort of movement outside in the darkness and nonstop downpour.

A person outside in this weather?

You walked from the other side of the counter closer to the large windows and peeked outside. It was still hard to see a lot, but even so, after a while, your eyes could make out the shadowy figure standing outside your bakery. 

This caused you to gasp a bit alarmed. It was raining and the wind was horrific, and yet this person was just standing there without an umbrella or raincoat or anything really. 

They could be homeless.

The idea that anyone would be forced to spend their evening outside in such conditions didn’t sit right with you, but what could you do about it? In general, you were not good at interacting with people. You preferred to bake alone in the comfort of your kitchen and have your cashier deal with customers. You were better with people you knew for a longer time, but even so, it often felt like too much to even speak out loud when asked let alone when you needed to ask something.

But the weather is really bad, and they’re just standing there.

You tried to rationalize that they had to see the lights coming from your bakery so if they felt like coming in they would have, but…

Don’t we all sometimes want things, but are too afraid to reach for them ourselves? 

With that in mind and before your doubts could get the best of you, you opened the door and called out through the sounds of the wind, ‘Excuse me!’

The person stood not far from you and the door to the bakery with their back turned to you, so you tried again, this time a bit louder, ‘Excuse me! Would you like to come inside, please?!’ 

You couldn’t help, but feel silly that you were yelling on the street like this. You weren’t used to yelling at all. You tried to avoid it as much as you could, but given the loud sounds of the wind and rain, it couldn’t be helped. 

The person didn’t turn around, but they might have just not heard you. 

You rushed back inside and snatched something to throw across your head and shoulders and put on outside shoes before you opened the door again partly shocked that the person was still there. 

You stepped outside and touched that person’s arm not wanting to startle them in case they didn’t hear you.

They flinched anyway, and when they turned around, you were shocked to find such empty eyes looking back at you. You couldn’t explain how they looked if you tried, but there was something profoundly empty almost dead about them that caused an instant chill to rush toward your heart making you feel sad just by looking at them. 

How can anyone still alive have such dead eyes?

You feared to think about what had to happen to them.

The person, who you now could see was a young man with white hair, was staring at you blinked releasing you from the intense lifeless imprisonment of his gaze and caused you to stutter, ‘Uh-you-if…w-w-would you…,’ the rest came out too rushed, ‘like-to-come-inside?’ 

You felt cringed over how pathetic you sounded cursing yourself for it a bit.

The man didn’t say anything. He just carried on staring at you with his dark empty eyes causing you to feel even more nervous and like an idiot, since it must have looked odd that out of the blue someone asked him to come inside, ‘It’s really…cold and uh, this weather will make you sick. So if you want you could come inside with me.’

The dark eyes blinked again, and the man looked up behind you at your bakery probably trying to piece together what was it that you wanted from him.

You bit your lip imagining this going better inside your mind and cursing yourself for making this so hard and weird, ‘Please?’

The dark eyes snapped back at you, and even if they stayed lifeless the rest of his face appeared confused more than anything, but to your absolute surprise and delight, the man gave out a single and curt nod which got you to immediately let out a sigh of relief and quickly turn around motioning for him to follow. 

Once inside you quickly put down your coat and changed your shoes into a pair of slippers for when you were behind the counter and kitchen, ‘Wait here, please. I’ll find you some towel.’

You snatched a couple of dry and warm from the oven towels and rushed back to the man who now seemed to have taken a seat at one of the stools meant for customers who were waiting for their orders.

‘Here,’ you managed to get out a bit too squeakily since now all too aware this man was in your bakery, your shyness started to kick in all over, ‘Uh, you need to dry yourself…so you don’t get cold, you know?’ You asked at the same time shaking your head and avoiding their gaze a bit.

‘Thanks,’ he said shortly and simply back. 

He took the towel from your hands almost lazily or less than lazily like it was almost pointless and started to dry his hair which now you could see wasn’t blond or white, but silver. 

You didn’t question the odd choice. You saw many customers from tourists to regulars, so you were not unfamiliar with varieties of hairstyles and clothing. Despite the exhaustion or even more depression and complete dejection of life that was coming off of him in waves now, you couldn’t help but notice he was rather attractive. The hair color suited him just fine.

Apart from his hair, he seemed to be dressed in simple black pants and a shirt with long sleeves. The most bizarre thing about him was the flip-flops attached to his feet. If you didn’t think it was unimaginable, you would think, this man simply put on something for a nice evening stroll. But how could that be when the weather was so profoundly terrible? 

But his eyes look so…dead…

‘Is there a problem?’ asked the man suddenly breaking your train of thoughts as you realized that you had spaced out with your own eyes at him, and he must have realized it. 

Almost immediately, the cold was the last thing on your mind as your whole face felt warm from the shame and embarrassment, and you bowed a bit, ‘No, sorry!’

You quickly turned around, ‘It’s really cold outside. You shouldn’t just go out dressed like that or at all in such weather, you know? I…I’ll turn on the heat and make you some tea. Herbal?’

You didn’t really give him time to finish and rushed behind the counter busing yourself there for a bit all the while stealing glances at the man as he finished drying himself and set the towels over the chairs. 

He wasn’t all that tall, and although he was built a bit better, you could see he looked like he hadn’t had a decent sleep and meal in a while which made your heart clench again for some reason, ‘Here’s your tea.’

He came closer to the counter and reached for the cup at the same time as you were about to give it to him causing your fingers to brush and some static to pass over your skin, ‘SORRY!’

You quickly let go and turned around to cover your face with your palm feeling more than a bit self-aware. You weren’t used to people. It was always a bit of a challenge to connect with them, which was why the form of your cashier, a middle-aged woman, who seemed could talk with anyone was a gift from heaven. You preferred to bake in the back kitchen and prepare the treats rather than serve them. Hearing her repeat the praises from the customer or describe the looks of gratitude on their faces was enough to fill your aching-to-please-others heart with content. 

But you couldn’t really stay quiet and mind your own business when you were the one who invited this man to come over.

Not to mention, he looks so broken.

Luckily, by the time, you got the hold of yourself, the man was slowly drinking the tea and warming his hands against the cup all the while looking at you, but you tried to accept small victories for now. 

You shifted your gaze and tried to ask politely to ease the mood. You were alone and strangers, so you weren’t at your best, but you still felt like you should try because of how sad this man looked.

He looked young…no young person should look so sad…

 ‘W-Would you like something? Anything, you like…uh. It’s on the house,’ you finally got out looking at him hopefully with a smile polite smile playing across your face hoping it was friendly enough to make him feel more comfortable. 

The man looked like he might have stepped outside for a smoke, so you figured he wouldn’t have any money, phone, or even his house key on him. He almost seemed like he appeared in front of your bakery out of the thin air. 

His dark eyes finally shifted from your face and glanced over the glass to see the treats and baked goods which you had prepared for today. 

His lips stayed pressed into a thin line for a while before finally, he asked his voice a bit hoarse, but something close to hope flashed behind his dark eyes, ‘Say, do you have any taiyaki?’

Your heart sank a bit as you heard him ask that of all things, ‘No, it’s not very popular among the customers, so I don’t make that.’

He nodded as if he almost expected such an answer, and you felt something inside you riot a bit against the idea that out of all the deserts and snacks you had around, he wanted one which was so laughably easy to make and simple, and yet you did not currently have. One, that might potentially bring him something close to joy or a spark of happiness behind his eyes. Such an idea, for someone who wanted to please people, like you, left you feeling absolutely disgusting on the inside with yourself.

‘But,’ you spoke and looked at your hands as it was a bit hard to have his absolute attention on you, ‘if you’re not in a hurry. I can make you some,’ you said with a low voice hoping it didn’t come off as too pushy because you would hate if he assumed you were trying anything on him.

‘You don’t have to-’

‘But I want to!’ you said and looked away feeling a bit embarrassed at how eager you sounded. You didn’t know this man, and you didn’t owe him anything, but he looked so sad and empty, you couldn’t help yourself but want to give him something.

You forced your eyes back at him, ‘So what do you say?’

His dark eyes remained the same, but there was clear curiosity coming from the rest of him as he put his elbow at the counter and pressed his cheek against his knuckles to look at you, ‘Why?’

What a horribly loaded question…

You looked down again and ironed your clothes with your palms a bit in a nervous way, ‘I like making snacks and baked goods for others,’ you admitted, ‘It makes me feel good to know they enjoyed them, and I fed them well? So…if you want taiyaki, I don’t mind making you some. I…I would really like to make you some.’

When you looked back up, he was still looking at you, but even if his gaze was intense and his dark eyes seemed so empty, you couldn’t help but think there was something alluring about someone like him looking at someone like you like this. You didn’t think anyone ever looked at you with such interest.

‘Alright, make me some then. Feed me,’ he said and opened his mouth for good measures causing your heartbeat to speed up and your face to grow warm again before you turned your back and quickly.

‘Right…so, uh…I’ll go and make you some now,’ you started to make your way to the back, where your small kitchen was, only to catch movement behind you and find the man now standing behind the counter with you.

Did he really just jump over it like that?

He paused and blinked at you probably noticing your shocked face, ‘Am I not going with you?’

You weren’t planning on asking him to join you in the kitchen, ‘It’s not in order with the health department rules,’ you admitted, but once you saw his face almost drop into more despair than it was already in, you quickly made up your mind, ‘Uh, but, please, join me.’

You found him a pair of slippers and an apron, ‘So you don’t drag mud or dirty your clothes.’

He put the shoes on himself, but then he waited while holding onto the apron which made you blink and walk closer to him, ‘Here, let me.’

He let you walk around him and tie a small bow in the back. Your eyes briefly catching the tattoo on the back of his neck as you did.

That symbol...

‘Do I look like a baker now?’ he asked, and there was almost a hint of amusement in his voice, which made you smile even if just a bit, ‘Not yet.’

You helped him wash his hands properly and prepared the ingredients, ‘Can I ask for your name? It feels strange, to bake with you and not know.’

‘Mikey.’

He didn’t offer you more, so you accepted it and offered him a smile as you introduced yourself. It could have been awkward, you were still strangers, but oddly, it didn’t feel so after you started directing Mikey on what to do or moving your hands over his to help him. 

At first you hesitated to touch him, but he seemed so casual about it, you managed to find your footing.

You told him a bit about yourself mostly to try and fill the silence while you work. You tended to hum when you baked, so this wasn’t all that different. It surprised you, how easy it seemed to talk to him, and even more so when he admitted, ‘I used to eat taiyaki all the time when I was younger. My buddy Kenchin was always out of money because of me.’

‘That’s not very nice,’ you teased, but he was quick to pout, ‘Don’t say it like that. If he really minded, he wouldn’t have left me. Kenchin is no pushover.’ 

You chuckled, and you took it with great relief when you found him easing up a bit. He seemed casual before too, but there was tension in his whole body that couldn’t be explained and contradicted by the laziness of his persona. However, now he seemed to properly let his hair down so to speak, and before you knew it he told you about why he loved taiyaki so much, ‘It’s like a distant memory. My brother’s warm hand holding mine as we walk through the festival stopping at booths and eating taiyaki.’

Mikey looked most alive you saw him since you met him when he spoke about his childhood, siblings, and friends. You watched him closely, and whenever you saw a shadow of something haunting appear behind his eyes, you purposely asked another question or shared something from your own childhood to bring him back to the light.

You managed to prepare the fish-shaped goods in an hour and a half. Maybe you would manage faster on your own, but it was nice to have company, and even if for a bit, you would have sworn that Mikey’s eyes lightened up when you praised his work and called his taiyaki better because he put more love and effort into them. 

The more time you spend together in the small kitchen in the back, the more the depressed-looking man seemed to almost relax and radiate with life.

‘Delicious,’ moaned Mikey and closed his eyes and looking properly blissful making you wonder how long it had been since he felt this content about something in his life.

‘See, you can make yourself some at home too,’ you assured him taking a taste of one yourself. They turned out really well.

He shook his head almost instantly, ‘It wouldn’t be as good,’ his dark eyes looked you over, ‘It wouldn’t be as fun as it was with you.’

He smiled so openly and almost happily, you thought there never was a more beautiful person in the world. It made your chest feel warm, and a smile settle against your lips to be in his presence and to see him like this and know some of it was your doing. 

You settled for just one chuckling as Mikey ate one after another clearly enjoying the snack and looking almost like a child.

After a while, you heard some buzzing, and you were surprised when Mikey pulled out a phone from his pants as you assumed, he didn’t have anything on him.

His alive and content face darkened as his eyes scanned through the phone screen, and you wondered if it was the work, he mentioned that he didn’t like so much at one point. 

‘I need to leave soon,’ he said and put the phone away looking upset rather than empty. 

You nodded and tried to ease his mood, ‘That’s alright, I can pack the rest of the taiyki for you.’

‘How much?’

‘I told you it’s on the house,’ you argued feeling awkward that you had to say it again, but Mikey shook his head, ‘No, it’s too much. How much is it?’

‘No,’ you argued back although it was weak since you were never good or comfortable with arguing with people, ‘I…can’t take your money. You helped me make them, and you looked…happy. I don’t want to ruin it,’ you smiled at him honestly feeling the warmth inside your chest over the experience and his presence, ‘It was nice baking with you and seeing you enjoy it too.’

You watched the hard look on his face soften so profoundly, it was almost like they were two different people altogether.

‘I liked baking with you,’ he admitted and looked away almost unsure of himself or self-aware, ‘and talking. Today was the first time, I didn’t think about my past in a bad way. I missed thinking about my childhood bathed in sunshine colors instead of the grey ones.’

Your heart ached at his words, and you almost felt tears rushing toward your eyes before you chased them away by turning your back to him, ‘I’m happy to hear that. I feel like I want…I want to make you talk about your childhoods, and be happy…glad that you got to experience those good parts, and not feel guilty about them.’

There was silence after you said those words that made you almost regret them until you heard his soft and broken, ‘You don’t know me. How could you…want good things for me when you don’t know…’

He didn’t finish, so you decided to speak again, ‘Sometimes…you don’t need to know everything about a person. Sometimes it’s enough to know they’re sad and hurting. It’s enough to want to make them feel better.’

There was once again silence after that making you question whether you made things awkward or if he was simply going over your words. You were honest. You didn’t know Mikey and everything who he was, but when he spoke about his childhood, siblings, and friends, you felt like he came alive. As if it was so long since he talked to anyone about these things, he might have forgotten there were good things about his past too.

When you turned around, you found him unexpectable close forcing you to move back until your back hit the counter behind you. 

He caged you by stepping even closer to you almost touching all the while looking at your face before his dark eyes moved to your lips. 

It was a feeling more than a comprehensive thought about what was about to happen, but it was enough to jump-start your heart to the extreme.

Panic kicked in before you could stop it from taking over, and before you could stop yourself, you loudly gasped, ‘Don’t,’ right before Mikey moved his face closer to yours. 

He paused and leaned away looking genuinely shocked before his eyes darted away from your face, and it seemed he wanted to move away too, ‘I’m sorry. I thought…I must have misjudged this.’

It was the closest to shame, you saw the young man get through the whole evening. 

You looked away as well and gathering all the courage, you could find, you reached out and took hold of his arm chasing the feeling of connection and happiness from before to settle your thoughts and feelings that blossomed inside. 

Your voice was soft again as you barely managed to get those words out of your mouth with how embarrassed you felt, ‘Uh, you didn’t misjudge anything.’

The moment, Mikey moved closer, your palms shot up and covered his mouth before he would be able to reach your face.

He looked confused, and you didn’t blame him. It would have sounded confusing to you as well if someone else was retelling this story to you, but it couldn’t be helped. 

You shut your eyes closed trying to gather your thoughts and push them above your feelings, ‘I-I don’t allow people to kiss me…unless I know them well.’

You didn’t open your eyes fearing, he might find your reasoning silly, but your mouth seemed to get the best of your and carried on, ‘I…I don’t know you very well yet…so please don’t…don’t take advantage of the fact that I…that…I like you so far.’

You felt hot breath against your palms which caused your eyes to open and then to freeze in place.

Mikey’s dark eyes were on you, but for the first time their emptiness didn’t bother you as you grew familiar with it, and in contrast with his surprised face, it seemed almost bearable. Familiar. Welcoming even.

‘Don’t…do that,’ you whispered feeling your cheeks were on fire again referring to what you assumed he was planning to do each time he leaned closer to your face, ‘Unless you plan to come back here again, and…and tell me more about yourself. Alright?’

It sounded ridiculous in your own ears to demand something like that. It felt like you had no right, but at the same time, it felt like you owe it to yourself, to demand at least that much for yourself.

‘You’re a bit strange,’ said Mikey shocking you and forcing your palms to fall to your sides as you felt embarrassed now. But just as quickly as he caused you to feel such a way, you watched and heard as he chuckled out loud almost joyfully, ‘But very kind and sweet.’

He reached behind you and took another fish-shaped treat before he took a bite with a small smile pressed across his face as he chewed, ‘Just like your goods.’

His free hand reached out and patted your head a bit, ‘Don’t change, no matter what, okay? It feels too good to know that people like you exist in the same world as someone like me.’

You didn’t hear such things often, so it brought a smile to your own face. Most people suggested you try and be less shy, or less naïve and trusting often viewing all that as a flaw. You didn’t blame them for their views, but it felt good to for once hear it wasn’t a bad thing to be the way you were. 

He stepped away from you and allowed you to pack the rest of the taiyaki in peace which helped to calm your rapidly beating heart and mind that only now seemed to properly realize, you almost let him kiss you.

He already stepped out of the kitchen by the time, you were finished, and you couldn’t help but wonder if your choice really was a good one. You stood by it. You didn’t know Mikey well enough yet to be that intimate with you no matter how attracted you felt toward him. You were just too you to allow yourself to be that carefree about such things. But at the same time, you felt a stab of worry that this might be the last time, you would see the young man with silver hair and if that was the case, shouldn’t you want to have something to remember him by? 

You handed the plastic container over to him, and he easily placed it under his elbow as he switched from your slippers to his flip flops, ‘Thanks for today.’

You smiled at him wishing you knew something better to say if this really was the final time you would see him. 

‘M-Mikey-kun,’ you started when he opened the door into the darkness outside. It seemed it stopped the rain if nothing else.

Your voice broke a bit at the end, ‘Come again.’

He paused and offered you a final smile that almost reached his eyes before he stepped out into the dark as if he was never inside your shop to begin with. 

Almost immediately, you felt a sense of coldness enter your body, but you couldn’t bring yourself to follow him outside sensing that if he wanted to come to see you again, he would. 

There was no promise, but there also was no final goodbye.

You spent the rest of your opening hours cleaning up erasing almost all the evidence that Mikey was there at all. 

Once you returned to the register you noticed something was off. It was almost unnoticeable at all, but you did notice that from the small plate near the register where you kept your business cards, the same card, you were playing with earlier, there was one missing.

This brought the familiar tender warmth to return to your chest as you silently let out a small prayer into the universe. 

Mikey-kun, call me, the next time, you’re alone and feel like baking taiyaki together.

Koniec

A.N: thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you and your loved ones are well. English is not my first language, so I apologize if things were unclear, or if there were unnecessary mistakes. Have a lovely day :)