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Inspired by this Artwork from kalcia
“Welcome home, Master!” He made sure that his eyes were wide and bright and his smile demure. He bowed gently, then quickly returned his gaze to his quarry. Her red eyes were wide and her cherry-red mouth was agape: not very maid-like at all. Obviously, Kagura was not taking this seriously enough. “Like that.”
“Are you…” Kagura was still having trouble forming words. It made Sesshōmaru frown. “...serious right now?”
Sesshōmaru surveyed his staff. First was Kagura, who was dressed in a jade-colored maid outfit. She wore her hair up in an attractive twist, secured in place with a feather that always matched her costume. She would be what many would call beautiful (Sesshōmaru had eyes, after all) and was an outstanding employee when a tsundere tameable maid was what someone desired. Although, truth be told, Sesshōmaru did not believe any would have the strength to tame such a woman (...not that he sometimes thought about it…). If someone was going to back-talk him, it was always going to be her. He was never pleased at how deeply under his skin she got.
Second was Ayame, who was dressed in white. She was a wolf-demon, yet somehow she exuded an innocence so pure that all the cafe’s patrons’ gazes would follow her, waiting for that moment when she would slip up and they would see the “real” Ayame. But Sesshōmaru knew better. Ayame was as pure as she seemed, raised by a wolf pack full of the world’s most protective older brothers and cousins. Ayame viewed the world through an innocent lens because her family would kill any who might try to taint her. The pigtails she wore served only to further this persona. (Sesshōmaru had heard her swear. Only once. When her boyfriend Kōga had come to pick her up.)
Third was Yura, who seemed to believe that working in a maid cafe was the best possible way to advertise her ample cleavage to gluttonous men. She seemed to relish in bending over, letting her bosom spill just so close to males’ noses. She claimed it guaranteed return customers. Sesshōmaru was not so sure. But she had a clean bob-cut and wore a dainty ribbon that offset her bright red maid costume. Yura also preferred sky-high heels for her shift, which sometimes made it look like she was walking on a tight rope. She claimed it lifted her ass. Sesshōmaru really had never paid close enough attention to come to a verdict (...though there was that one time that Yura had loaned Kagura those heels…).
Finally, Yuka smiled up at him. She wore a green costume that suited her ultra-studious do-gooder persona. For any who did not know her, Yuka was the perfect embodiment of a high school girl, despite being close to finishing college. She made customers believe that she would always go the extra mile to earn that good grade, which of course kept a certain type of clientele coming back. She enjoyed wearing her hair half-back in a blue ribbon that went with her outfit. Yuka was a human. Some found that interesting (Sesshōmaru didn’t).
And overall, his staff was adequate. They played their parts most excellently when necessary, but once in a while, he would see a lapse in their concentration. They would be whispering in sight of the patrons, or they would break character when someone was being overly interested. It was as if they had taken the job at his cafe without fully committing, and that was not something that he could tolerate.
But, why was he standing in the locker room currently wearing one of his outfits, make-up done and hair up?
Because he was tired of excuses from them, that was why.
Because Kagura had had the gall to say “oh yeah? Well, show us if you think you can do it better, Sesshōmaru-sama.”
And something about that tone in her voice had irked him. It made him want to prove that he could do better. It made him want to show Kagura that he would never back down from one of her challenges. Because he was her boss.
The fact that he sometimes closed his eyes and saw those deliciously defiant, perfectly lined, red eyes, or the cherry red lips that could not always contain the fangs that she displayed when she growled that he was being unreasonable.
No. Sesshōmaru was not to think about that. This was about his staff. Who sometimes broke character. And needed lessons in how to embody the perfect maid. That was why he was dressed as he was. That was why he was making his eyes twinkle and saying “Welcome home, Master.” For their education.
“I am serious,” Sesshōmaru lectured Kagura. He tried to glare at her, a glare that had a 96% effectiveness rate at getting his opponent to back down. With Kagura that rate was 1%, with a 27% chance of a counter-glare. But that wasn’t why he decided not to glare. He just didn’t feel like it was all. “We will work on our technique tonight, because I saw far too many lapses this week.”
“I am so sorry, boss! I did not know that I was not doing my utmost to project calm and happiness!” Yuka, of course, bowed low. “May I run to find a notebook so that I may take notes on how to improve?”
“That is…” Sesshōmaru was not going to look at Kagura right now, he wasn’t (even though this was completely her fault that he was standing here in a maid costume). “Unnecessary.”
“But here I thought you were teaching us how to be good little maids.” Kagura rolled her eyes. Sesshōmaru wanted to march her into his office, bend her over, and… but he was a professional.
“I am teaching you how to be the best versions of yourselves.” Sesshōmaru swung his hand in a wide arc, then returned the demure smile to his face. “So watch and learn.”
Kagura would never say it out loud, but watching her boss don a maid outfit and do a better job at being a maid than she could was both the most amazing and most aggravating thing she had experienced since she started her job at Taisho Cafe.
All she wanted was a job that would pay the bills, so that she could go to school and work on what she actually wanted to do: become a travel writer. Serving weebs and otakus tea and cutesy pancakes was not on her list, yet here she was. Dressed in the tight-fitting satin bodice with the flared out skirt, covered in frilly little doilies and saying “Yes Master! Welcome home Master! I am so pleased you enjoyed that Master!” all damn day.
Kagura was no one’s maid.
But the pay was good.
Really good.
Really really good.
And… Sesshōmaru was actually a pretty good boss, not that she’d ever tell him that. Case in point, he was standing there in his own maid outfit with perfect makeup, doing a better job being a maid than his female employees.
Dammit. Sesshōmaru was a great boss, because he would do things like dress as a maid to show his staff how the proper demure bow looked, and how to gently back away from an overzealous customer. And there was the time that Kagura watched Sesshōmaru waste a bug-eyed man who was trying to slip poison into something he knew the maids would drink. (Sesshōmaru had actually made the dude—Mukotsu?—drink his own concoction. He never ever came back.)
“Would Master care for another?” Did Sesshōmaru seriously just bat his eyes? His glares were like staring back at an iceberg usually. How were there damn little stars in his eyes? “Thank you for coming, Master!” Ugh, no one should sound that simpering. It was the weirdest cognitive dissonance ever. “I cannot wait to play the special game with you, Master!” (Everyone hated the special game. The one where each maid had to compete against the annoying customers. Kagura had only lost once. To Sesshōmaru.) “Master, we have a new menu item! I just know that you will love it!”
Sesshōmaru had officially made his point.
Yura looked bored. Then again, Kagura was convinced that Yura worked at Taisho Cafe solely so that she could lead with her tits and get paid for it.
Ayame looked confused. Then again, this was probably the first time that she had ever seen Sesshōmaru in a maid costume (or… any man in a maid costume).
Yuka was taking notes in her little heart-shaped notebook.
Kagura sighed. It looked like this standoff was not going to end unless she was the one who ended it. She half-considered letting it keep going. Watching Sesshōmaru flip his long, pig-tailed hair and smile so soppily was hilarious, but it was also demoralizing. How the hell could he be so good at this?
“Master,” Kagura started, fluttering her own eyelashes. “We are so grateful for you taking your time to give us this special instruction! I know that I will think on it tonight as I fall asleep!”
Okay, so… that was probably more truth than Kagura should have revealed. A maid would never make it seem like she was fantasizing about a Master like that. But… shit. Sesshōmaru dressed like that, with those usually ice-cold eyes wide and starry was going to keep her up that night. And well, it wasn’t like he was a real customer
Her face being hot was just because he was still dressed as a maid, okay?
“You’ve… made your point.” Kagura was not going to look at him right now. Her brain had thought of too many things and Sesshōmaru could sometimes read minds.
“Can we go home now, boss?” It was Ayame, a tired smile crossing her face. Then… something new, something that Kagura had only seen once. Mischief. “Plus, I think we all know that Kagura is the one your lessons are aimed at, right?”
Kagura was going to kill Ayame in her sleep.
“Wait, does that mean you’re not going to test us?” Yuka put her notebook back into her apron. “I thought we were going to be tested on demeanor!”
“I believe I have adequately demonstrated what needs to be done,” Sesshōmaru instructed; was it wishful thinking, or did Kagura detect a little unsettle in his voice?
“Okay!” Yuka, Ayame and Yura cleared out of the room, chatting as they headed off to change for the night.
“So.” Kagura couldn’t help herself. “You think I need extra instructions to be a good little maid?”
Sesshōmaru traipsed up to her, only dropping the bounce when he was close enough that she could feel the heat coming off of him.
“You’re nobody’s good little maid.” Sesshōmaru’s eyes weren’t icy; they weren’t starry, either. No. If Kagura wasn’t mistaken, that was fire in those eyes. “I wouldn’t want you to be. That’s not you.”
“I see, Master,” Kagura breathed, then she tugged on Sesshōmaru’s apron. “By the way, you somehow look ridiculous and amazing. Maybe you should work the front, too!”
“Perhaps.” Sesshōmaru leaned a bit more forward. “The day you’re just a customer at this place, I will take you up on that.” Kagura’s eyes widened just slightly. Could it be? “But… it will have to wait for that day.”
“Is that a promise?” Kagura tried to keep herself calm, to not give away the way her heart was beating out of her chest.
“It is, Mistress,” Sesshōmaru answered, unable to suppress the grin that grew on his face. “Until then, just do your best. Because it is pretty great.”
That would be the last time that any of his maids saw Sesshōmaru don a maid outfit.
Well, that is, except for Kagura.