You heard London had some gangster groups hidden between the creepy alleyways of the poorest area of the capital but you never expected to meet one of them. They were not like any of the imagery you made in your heads. They looked like any other business group with lots of secrets, maybe scary on some edges. Maybe you were only trying to convince yourself they were not bad people but there was no way they were clean and you could not deny it any longer. You could only imagine the things they had done, still do, and could do. You swallowed nervously as you stared into John Price's piercing blue eyes. They had none of that softness they wore before and looked more distant as if he was building a wall between the two of you. He took another drag of his cigar and puffed the smoke out of his mouth, blowing it next to your face, as he waited for an answer from you.

You coughed a little as the scent and smoke tickled your nose and gave you a horrible aftertaste. With a hand waving the smoke out of your face, you held strong in front of him and sat straight. Never show a weakness in front of anyone as smart and conniving as John Price, you would only be digging your own grave. You would not let yourself be stepped on. This was your establishment and your rules.

"Smoke.. outside," you said with a hoarse voice. It burned your throat to be talking. You needed a glass of water.

Price scoffed while nodding his head. An amused smile drew on his face and the wall he was trying to build seemed to falter for a second. He moved back on his feet and offered you a hand. Reluctantly, you took it and he got you back on your feet with ease. However, your legs felt weak after almost being choked to death so you went too far and stumbled on your feet. Your face came into contact with Price's toned chest, a muffled squeak left your lips. The hand that previously held your hand, slid along your side and landed on the small of your back.

"Careful there, love. Wouldn't want you to get hurt now, do we?" You could almost hear the smirk as he spoke.

The scent lingering on him was strangely addicting, a mix of cigar, whiskey, and cinnamon. You hated the smell of tobacco or cigar, yet, here he was, turning it into the best perfume you ever scented. Your eyes finally opened from your previous fall and you were met with a pair of blue hues which were looking right back at you, a bit shinier than before. You silently tried to search for something in his eyes as if a connection was being created, your life threads meeting and sewing their way into each other hearts. You wanted to seek that connection, hoping to understand that mysterious man. You could not get your head around if he hated you and wanted to keep you on a leash, or if he genuinely wanted to protect you from something you did not know about.

A sound from behind you broke that comfortable bubble that was forming between you two. You quickly pulled away, pushing him away. You would not fall for his charm.

"Outside," you repeated one last time but this time you were unable to look at him.

You heard a brief grunt before he stepped outside of the cafe. He said something to his men before closing the door but you were not able to process it. You placed a hand over your pounding heart. Those men were doing things to do, things you could not explain. What was happening?

Suddenly, something hit your shoulder. You almost jumped out of your skin and took a few steps back. You were more defensive now after all the events that occurred in the last thirty minutes. Roach was the one that touched your shoulder. Once he saw you freaked out, he raised his hands toward the ceiling to show he meant no harm. You took a deep breath and nodded. He pointed to his right and you followed his finger which showed the kitchen. Right . You had to finish this 'job interview'. You followed the mute man into the kitchen silently. König was there already, looking even more nervous than before, unable to look anywhere else but his feet. You did not bring up the subject because you knew he was probably feeling awkward after almost killing you. Instead, you acted like nothing had happened. Mostly.

After drinking a glass of water, you spoke up. "Alright... So, I guess we'll start with König. I have ingredients lingering around, so take whatever you want and show me what you can do," you told him.

The man nervously nodded and searched for the ingredients under your guidance. Once he got everything he needed, you leaned against one of the counters and watched him. Roach was by your side, his smile seemed glued to his masked face - it was easy to tell he was smiling from the way his eyes narrowed. König took a deep breath before he removed his gloves and moved to the sink, cleaning his hands. That was a great start, you noted. He rolled up his sleeves and took a mixing bowl then placed it on the scale. He was very meticulous in everything he was doing. He always aimed for the perfect amount of flour or sugar that would be recommended for a cake, doing everything by the letter. It was not necessary to do things as perfectly as this but you appreciated the effort he was putting in. It showed you how serious he was about it. Plus, he was probably under a lot of stress because he had two people watching him intensely despite his social anxiety.

From what you could tell, he was making cupcakes. An easy recipe that could never go wrong. But you would not be impressed by just some basic cupcakes, you expected he would bring something to the table. The man moved with ease despite his giant form and he was careful about each ingredient he was using. You could not see the final steps as he now had his back turned to the two of you, however, the aroma was heavenly. After taking them out of the oven, he spent more time with his back turned. You guessed he was decorating them and it was a point you appreciated. Decorations would make customers even more excited to buy your products especially if they were original and unique.

"T-there," a shy voice spoke up. You guessed it was König's. If he was not in front of you, you would not have guessed it was him. You noticed a German accent when he spoke, giving his soft tone a rougher, deeper side.

The man turned around and presented a plate of six cupcakes. Your eyes widened as you looked at how well-decorated they all were. You understood why it took him time to finish, it was.. adorable. From the cat-shaped ones to the sparkling decorations, you loved each one of them. All are unique and have different personalities with a story to tell. This gentle giant kept surprising you in the best of ways. Thanking him with a bright smile, you took one in your hand. It almost felt outrageous to ruin such meticulous work but it had to be done. You raised your hand to your mouth and took a bite of the small cake.

If the scent was heavenly, the taste was something humankind could never wish to reach. A forbidden fruit that the Gods kept selfishly for themselves. Yet, here he was, bringing this delicacy into this world for mere mortals. It almost made you emotional.

The favors were perfectly balanced, the sugar was not in outrageous quantities despite the light frosting at the top, and the heart of it had dark chocolate, balancing the sweetness of the cake. It felt as airy as a cloud, as soft as a teddy bear, and flavorful. Each bite was sending you to heaven. As a baker, you recognized the talent he had.

"König," you said after you finished eating the cupcake. The man became stiff as you called his name. He was ready to get yelled at and be called shame for daring to bring this to a professional baker. He hated the idea of working under someone he did not know about. He barely slept last night when Price announced he had to take this job so they could keep a low profile for a bit. He did not oppose his boss's words - no one would ever oppose to Price - but he had been sick all night thinking he had to talk to you. "They're absolutely..." The wait was killing him and he felt the urge to throw up. Only a selected amount of people tried his baking, a.k.a. the 141 and Los Vaqueros. Just this was making him nervous but knowing he would be selling his cakes to hundreds of people made him lightheaded. "... amazing!" You exclaimed. König's eyes widened as he looked down at you. Was it his imagination that transformed your words into positive feedback? There was no way a professional would enjoy an amateur's work. "The decorations are unique, beautifully well-done, and eye-catching! But the taste... I never ate a cupcake so good before! Mine could never rival what I tried today! Are you sure you're not a professional baker undercover?" You joked, a light chuckle leaving your lips.

König felt like his world just stopped. You liked his cupcakes and he could not believe it. He knew everyone in their mafia group liked his baking but he thought they were mostly being polite, he did not believe he actually got talent for this. He felt his face heat up under his mask and his eyes darted to the floor. He was glad to be wearing his mask. "I-I don't think they're that good..."

Roach was sitting on the kitchen island and hummed in satisfaction while kicking his feet in the air. He gave a thumbs-up and patted Klaus's shoulder before he took another one. He was one of König's biggest cupcake fans. You surprised the shy giant by taking his hands in yours and he looked back up at you. "I mean it, König. I would never joke about baking. It's my whole life so I'm being sincere, trust me." The man seemed embarrassed, looking everywhere but your eyes. He was moved though. Your words meant a lot to him, drawing a smile on his face, though, you could not see it. "I definitely want to work with you on pastries," you giggled and finally released his hands. "Now, M. Roach. You'll be helping around the kitchen and drinks, yeah?"

Roach nodded and hopped off the counter. Now that he had his mask down, you could see the burned scar extending to his face. It looked.. painful. His bright puppy eyes were looking at you, his head tilted to the side. He waited for you to give him a task.

"I mean... I don't know yet what drinks I would like to make and I don't have many ingredients or pieces of equipment right now... It'll be mostly tea, coffee, milkshake, and smoothies. I might think about having boba at some point but I'm not sure yet..."

Roach raised his hand at this. He started making signs with his hands but you could not understand anything. Your eyes moved to König, hoping he could enlighten you. "He's saying he loves making boba and all sort of caffeine-based drinks... He often does some for himself or us actually, they're very good."

You hummed along, your head nodding at König's words. "Alright, I see... If only your stupid boss told me you were coming, I would have prepared something," you said through gritted teeth. You felt no lie in König's words. Somehow, this man seemed unable to lie. He gave you the scare of your life earlier and you had no doubt he would have killed you then, but he seemed to be true to his words - unlike a certain gangster or mafia boss. "You know what? I think it'll work out anyway. I can't wait to be working with you two. It might be difficult at first but we'll have to try and see if we match together in the kitchen once the equipment arrives." It was not as if you had much of a choice in the end. You knew Price would be stupidly stubborn and force your hands. He was a man who did not take no for an answer. "You can come by anytime. I would like to decide on the products and menu with you two." The two men nodded, a glint of excitement in their eyes. Roach had hoped he could have shown off a bit, but he would definitely do it next time, maybe even bring beforehand drinks. "Well, guess we should get Price."

Footsteps neared and stopped in the doorframe of the kitchen. "Done?" Speak of the devil. You turned around to see the man with his - stupid - bucket hat smirking at you. "I suppose there was no problem, was there?"

You rolled your eyes, not even trying to hide your irritation. "Yeah. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," you said with an annoyed smile.

Price understood the message and let out a small amused chuckle. "Very well, whatever the boss says," he imitated your ironical tone. He looked up at his two men behind you and gestured them to move. "We'll see you again, sunshine. Don't get into trouble. Not everyone you encounter has good intentions."

You stood there confused as you watched the three men leave. You were left to ponder on his words. Did it mean you could trust them? Or should not?

Was there someone after you with bad intentions?

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Yes, I felt kind of fancy with the descriptions... Tell me if it was too much I'm trying out things haha

Trying my best to bring the best for you all! Hope you're still liking the story so far :) Things will get moving very soon with more depth to the story!