Chapter Text
“I’m simply..
one hell of a butler..
Simply..
One.. hell of a butler..
..Damn it.”
A moment of aggravated silence.
The frustration was so evident in Zen’s voice, even from the next room over. Zen had only received the offer of this role the day before, and MC was sure he was going on about five hours of sleep. He certainly is dedicated. A closeted Black Butler fan, MC sat stiffly in her chair, trying to ignore how he was doing. it. all. wrong. She knew he’d just gotten the role, and knew that he would do his research as the rehearsal process went on. Regardless, it still surprised her that he’d never heard anything about the show. Especially considering how popular it had become over the last couple of years with the new musical adaptation.
Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus had already played in Japan, so now the news of the show debuting in Korea was creating lots of media buzz. Especially with Zen playing the lead. Within less than 24 hours, there were already edits of Zen as Sebastian and tons of fanart on Tumblr. That wasn’t including the influx of hundreds of thirsty fangirl comments.
“oH mY gOD ZEN IS GOING TO BE SEBA-CHAN! >//<”
“Zen’s gonna be soooooo hot! Already bookmarked the ticket website!! <3”
“EAT MY SOUL DEMON DADDY”
MC had learned to block out these sorts of comments, but she knew for sure that Sebastian fangirls were a whole new sub-culture.
It was endearing that Zen was already trying to work on one of Sebastian’s most iconic lines, but MC could tell he couldn’t figure out the intonation. She knew there was a specific way this line had to be said if he was to please die-hard fans. Her included.
“..Yes, my lord..
Yes.. My lord..
Yes, my lord..”
Another moment of silence and an exasperated sigh following.
MC knew all too well that a mix of exhaustion and frustration in Zen usually caused him to shut down. She couldn’t let him continue on like this for much longer. One thing she knew would help Zen snap out of his current state was some comfort food. In particular, a bag of Honey Buddha Chips.
As MC walked to their food pantry, Zen didn’t look up once. There was no telling what thoughts were swirling through his mind. Grabbing two bags, MC made her way back to the living room. MC poked her head out carefully, seeing Zen’s expression scrunched in concentration. He was sitting on the couch, his leg bouncing frantically. A tell-tale nervous habit of his. On the coffee table there were two empty energy drinks and a newly-opened beer. Another nervous habit of his. Zen mouthed the lines silently, his eyes skimming over the paper.
“Hey, Zen.”
At the sound of his name, Zen’s gaze dazedly focused on his girlfriend.
“..I thought you could use a little break.” MC spoke calmly, taking a few steps forward and holding out the bag of Honey Buddha chips.
Zen’s crimson gaze lingered to the clock, which blinked 9:30 P.M. His eyes squinted, as if he was reading it wrong.
“..Wow.. I really lost track of time, didn’t I?” A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
MC moved closer.
“You should eat something.”
She returned a gentle smile, handing the chips to Zen and sitting down in the seat closest to the couch he had settled on. He took the bag in his hands, opening it immediately and popping a chip in his mouth.
He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.
“Damn. These are so good..”
MC laughed at his reaction, shaking her head.
“That may just be because you haven’t eaten since breakfast, you big dummy.”
With this, Zen’s expression melted into a playful pout, popping another chip in his mouth. That soon softened into a charming smile.
“You’re probably right.”
Another chip.
“..You don’t know how much I needed this, babe.”
“Oh, I know. I could basically hear you fuming from the next room over.” MC half-joked, opening her own bag of chips.
“Gotcha, gotcha.” Zen picked up his beer, taking a quick sip and setting it back down.
MC could only think of one way to bring the conversation back to the lines.
“Hm.. Honey Buddha Chips and beer. That must be one hell of a combination.”
He paused on his way to take another sip, his eyes widening as he turned to face MC.
“..One hell of a combination?” Zen repeated slowly, emphasizing the ‘hell’ just as MC had. He studied her expression.
Finally. Zen emphasized the right word.
“Precisely. One hell.”
“..Oh.. Actually, that makes a lot of sense.” He confirmed, picking up his script once more.
Clearing his throat, Zen took another quick sip of beer and his gaze flickered back towards the paper.
“I’m simply.. One hell of a butler.”
MC immediately felt a blush burn in her cheeks as Zen spoke the line.
“Yeah, that felt right. Way more natural than my other attempts.” His glance flickered back towards MC, noticing the pink hue in her cheeks immediately.
“You liked that, babe?” A smile melted onto his lips.
“Yes, my lord.” Popping another chip in her mouth, she began to picture Zen with Sebastian’s signature black hair.
Damn.
A charming smile hinted on his lips at this reply, patting the empty couch seat next to him.
“..But you know, Zen..” MC stood from her seat and plopped herself down next to Zen.
“..You’re not perfect yet. You have a lot of work to do if you want to please all your new fangirls.”
She laced her fingers with his.
“You know, MC.." Zen softly brushed his lips against the back of her hand.
"..The only ‘fangirl’ I care about pleasing is you.”
“Oh, stop it..” She rolled her eyes playfully at this overly cheesy phrase. Reaching over him, MC grabbed his beer and took a long sip.
“I say the next step is to actually watch some Black Butler, whaddya say?”
“Sounds like one hell of a night.”