The week following the race had dragged by unbelievably slow. It seemed that your professors had all come to some type of agreement to simultaneously assign as mass of work, and too many all nighters of studying fueled only by coffee had left you exhausted. It was only Thursday night, and you felt like the week would never end.

You laid your head down on your desk and sighed, closing your eyes for a moment and allowing yourself to drift off. More often than you would've liked, you felt your mind wander off to your encounter with Maki, and hard as you tried to focus, something about her was enticing. You turned your head towards the bed, thinking about what had happened just a week ago.

You sat up, trying your best to push the thoughts out of your mind, as once again, Maki had some type of lingering control. Whether it was the way she made you freeze, your body, or your thoughts, she had a hold over you. It wasn't something you particularly disliked, but it was something you wanted to change. You worked for her now, so you had to find a way to compartmentalize your thoughts about her.

You looked back down at your work, the reading packet assigned by your Biology professor staring back at you. A yawn escaped your lips as your eyes begin to droop, a wave of tiredness washing over you. You looked up at the clock above your desk, reading 9 PM. The sleepless nights were starting to catch up with you, so you decided to take a break. As you plopped down on your bed, you felt your stomach growl.

Through all of the studying, you hadn't had anything to eat for dinner. You reluctantly sat up, dragging your feet over to your mini fridge. It's insides were bare, the empty bright white walls staring back at you. You sighed, retreating back to your bed and taking out your phone. You had enough money in your account that you could order takeout, but not enough to afford both food and the lab fee you had due tommorow.

You laid down and closed your eyes, guessing it was sleep for dinner that night. As you began to drift off, there was a knock at the door.

You opened it to see the doorman at your building standing in the hallway. He held a white styrofoam box in his hands, wrapped up in a clear plastic takeout bag.

You looked down at the box in confusion. "This is for you," he said, extending it out to you. It smelled of something like a Royal farms, and you hesitantly took the box out of his hands. It was warm to the touch, and a receipt was stapled on the outside of the bag with the price crossed out.

"Where did you get this?" You asked, looking up at him. "And why are you giving it to me?"

"Just consider it a gift."

"From who?"

"Im not supposed to say. Have a good night miss."

You tilted your head to the side as you watched him turn and leave down the hall, heading towards the staircase. You closed your door, taking the box to your desk and setting it down. As you began to untie the bag, your phone rang.

"Hello?" You answered. It was a number you didn't recognize.

"Y/N? It's Maki."

"Oh, hi," you perked up.

"I was just calling to ask if you got what I sent you."

You pressed the phone between your ear and your shoulder, opening the bag. Inside the box there was a few pieces of fried chicken, along with some kind of salad. You slowly realized it was the "gift" the doorman was talking about.

"Maki," you smiled. "You did not."

"I did," she replied.

"Wait, how did you get my number? And how did you know I wanted food?"

"Nobara gave it to me, and the man at the front desk told me you hadn't left all day today, so I assumed you were staying in studying and could use something to eat."

"You are such a stalker," You teased, picking up a piece of chicken and taking a bite. "Holy shit. Is this from that Korean fried chicken place in the city?"

"You like it?"

Between your hunger and the quality of the food, you definetly liked it.

"Yeah I-" You paused for a moment before something dawned on you.

"Maki, did you pay the doorman off again? And how much was this food? Pretty sure I remember specifically telling you I could take care of myself."

"Maaaybe," she cooed. You could feel her smile through the phone.

"Oh my god."

"What, I can't be nice?"

"No, you can't be. How much?"

She chuckled. "I'll see you tommrow, Y/N" she said, hanging up the phone without another word.

What was running through this girls mind? Stalking you, buying things for you. In in the back of your mind you resented that she had ignored you, but in a way, it was sweet. You smiled, placing your phone on the desk and sitting back down. You happily enjoyed the food, and thought maybe letting Maki spoil you time wasn't so bad.

That was until the next morning rolled around. When you left your building to walk to class, a voice called out to you. "Y/N!" a Itadori shouted, his head sticking out of a black Camaro SUV. You wondered why he would be calling you. As you approached the car, he got out to open the passenger side door for you. You looked at him confusedly.

"Y/N , I'm here to pick you up."

"Oh, I think you've got the wrong person, but thank you," you said, turning to walk in the opposite direction.

"But this is where Maki said to go ma'am."

You whipped your head around to face him. "Maki?" you asked.

"Yes ma'am. Maki Zenin," he answered. You stared back at him in disbelief. Had she sent someone to take you to school?

"Oh, it's okay, please tell her I said I'm fine on my own."

"But miss, it's raining."

"It's fine," You insisted, gesturing to your umbrella. "And you don't have to call me ma'am Itadori, I know you. Just Y/N is fine."

You turned back to continue your walk to campus. A few minutes later, you noticed the same black car trailing behind you. You looked back at it, and it stopped. You kept walking, and it moved forward. Was he following you? You walked up to the car, knocking on the window. "Tell Maki I'll see her tonight, and to stop being such a stalker." you said before turning back.

When you arrived on campus, it wasn't very busy due to the rain. You walked up the stairs of the science building, which housed your 9 AM chemistry class. It was by far your hardest class, and it didn't help that it was early in the morning, but today was a lab day, which was the part of Biochem that you actually liked. "Hey, Y/N," Your professor greeted as you walked through the door.

Mr. Nanami stood in the front of the room behind a desk, lab coat and goggles already on. You greeted him back before going to put your own lab attire on, pulling a white coat and fastening the buttons around your clothes. You carefully pulled a pair of goggles over your head and tightened them. A smile spread across your face, you were back in your element. The lab was fairly easy, just working with some liquids and pipettes while recording chemical reactions.

You waved goodbye to Mr. Nanami as you fininished up your experiment, and it was Friday so you only had one more class before work. African American studies had been the course you chose as your elective, and it brought some cheerfulness to your otherwise strict courseload. You listened diligently as the proffessor spoke, rain tapping lightly against the window next to you.

When the class let out, it had began to pour. You stood under the awning in the front of the building, waiting for the rain to stop. The sky continued its heavy downpour for ten more minutes, and you watched as everyone with a car left one by one, leaving you there alone. You picked up your cell phone to call your best friend.

"Hello?" she answered.

" Are you busy right now?" you asked.

"Yeah sorry Y/N, I'm at soccer practice."

"But it's raining right now."

"Coach had us do indoor weight training. What's up?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering if you could give me a ride home. It's pouring and i'm stuck at the history building."

"I'm really sorry, our practice doesn't end for two more hours."

"It's okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye!"

You sighed, slumping down against the wall. You only had a few hours of free time before you had to go to Maki's office, then to the race after that, and you didn't want to spend them sitting outside in the cold rain.

"Y/N!" A familiar voice yelled. You looked up to see the black Camaro from before. "Do you need a ride home? The rains not supposed to let up for another hour."

You didn't want to take another favor from Maki, but honestly it sounded like your best option. You got up, grabbing your backpack, and got in the car. It smelled like fresh mint, and the interior was in perfect condition.

"Would you like a piece of gum?" the Itadori asked.

"Uh, no thank you. But thank you," you replied.

The two of you sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So, Yuuju, how do you and Maki know eachother?"

"I've know her since we were in high school, and I've worked for her for a while."

"Oh cool, what do you guys do?"

"I'm the secretary of her company."

Company? Maki had a company? And the secretary president was spending his time driving you around?

"Wow, that sounds cool." You smiled as he pulled up in front of your apartment, unbuckling his seatbelt to open the door for you.

"Oh no, it's fine." you interrupted, getting out of the car. "Thank you so much for the ride, see you around Yuuji!"

You turned the key to your apartment, walking in and plopping down on the bed. What the hell was Maki up to? You only had known her for a week, and she had already given you food, rides, a job....

Your mind flashed to your shift tonight. The clock on the wall read 3 PM, so you had an hour before you had to leave. You slid under the covers of your bed, hoping to get some rest before your day continued on.

The familiar sound of your phone ringing pulled you out of your sleep. It was Maki.

"Hello?" You answered, rubbing your eyes.

"Forget about me?"

You looked at the time. It was 5 PM.

"Shit, sorry." You said, jumping up from the bed to get ready.

"Late on your first day, Y/N?" she teased. "You know what I say about obedience, I don't wanna have to punish you for that."

You could feel her smirk through the phone.

"Do you have to make a sexual joke out of everything, Maki?"

"Who said it was a sexual joke, I'm just talking about professionalism."

You rolled your eyes, pulling your shoes on and fixing your hair. "I'll be there in 10," you replied.

"See you soon, princess." she said, hanging up. Why was she always hanging up before you could finish talking?

You grabbed your keys and tool bag as you ran out of the door, and thankfully, the rain had stopped. The walk to her building was shorter than you expected, and you stood in front of it, staring up at all the stories. You had passed the building a million times when you were walking, and it was covered by blue one-way windows on the front. You never thought you would actually go in, let alone to work there. You walked inside, the familiar scent of fresh mint greeting you.

"Uh, I'm looking for Ms. Zenin," you said, walking up to the front desk.

"Name?"

"Y/N L/N"

"Top floor."

The desk lady gestured at the elevators opposite to the doors. There were two of them, two working ones, which was two more than you had in your building. You extended a hand to press the "up" button, the other holding your bag. You wondered what Makinwould need you to fix in a building as nice as this. The elevator dinged at the top floor, the doors opening to let you out. You stepped out into the hallway, three large doors looking back at you. You peered at the name tags on the wall. Kusagi, wasn't that Nobara's last name? Yuuji, and finally, Zenin. You knocked on the door, grasping your bag in your hands.

You were greeted by a familiar face when the door opened, and looked up to see Itadori on his way out.

"I'll be back with that paperwork," He said, back turned into the room. "Oh, hey, Y/N."

You returned his greeting as he left and back down the hallway to another office. You took a deep breath, the feeling of nervousness creeping up your body as you entered the room.

It was a large open space, with the entire back wall being a window. The view outside was beautiful, showing the entire city. You could see your campus in the distance, now filled with people since the storm had stopped. The sun parted the clouds, illuminating the whole room, and on the right side there was a grey futon pressed against the wall, surrounded by 2 black file cabinets.

Directly across was Maki's desk, where she sat with her feet up on the table. It was dark oak wood, the front being closed off, and you were surprised she would put her feet up on something that seemed so expensive. Her eyes were doing their usual staring at you, but you had already decided you weren't going to be intimidated by her this time, you were at work.

"You gonna come in, or just stand in the doorway staring?" she smiled.

You rolled your eyes, walking in. Placing your things down on the couch, you sat down. Makin had on black dress pants with a white button up shirt that was rolled up over her elbows. She removed her feet from the desk to sit normally, and you couldn't help but notice how her arm muscles strained against her shirt every time he moved. Hee hair was styled into his usual ponytail, the green-black locks flowing perfectly around her face. Didactic he have to look so attractive all the time?

"Sorry for being late," you said. You looked a little more casual than her, sporting a black fitted turtleneck and blue mom jeans. She was quiet for a moment as her eyes scanned over you. "So what am I working on today?" you asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, my cars in good condition so I guess nothing." Nothing? Then what reason did she have to schedule you today?

"Um, okay how about anything in the building? Are all the systems working fine? I'm sure I could figure out how to work with other things."

You were confident in your abilities, and when your refrigerator broke down a couple months ago and you didn't have money to buy a new one, you found that most appliances and mechanical things weren't so different from cars.

"Well, everything's fine for right now. Why don't you come sit down?" Sbe asked, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk. You got up from your place at the couch, walking over to her.

"Then what should I do all shift today?" you asked, settling into the seat.

"I was thinking I could get to know you a bit," she said, propping her elbows up on the desk and resting her head in her hands. You have her a questioning look.

"I'm here to work, I have to do something besides just sit around and talk."

"I think sitting and talking is just fine." She stretched her arms out behind herself, resting her palms on the back of her head.

A small sigh parted your lips. "Maki, I don't want you to pay me for doing nothing, or just to have around. And I already owe you from the food you sent me last night. And whatever you paid the desk to stalk me. Oh, and the ride Itadori gave me today."

"Those were gifts."

You gave hera soft smile. "Thank you, I appreciate it, but no more gifts. I told you I don't like feeling like I owe people things."

You prided yourself on being independent, and everything about your budding relationship with Maki was the opposite of that.

"Fine," she replied. "How about you just accept what Ive already given you, and think of them as thank you's for the other night."

"That makes me sound like a prostitute," you joked.

"Not the hooking up, the company."

You raised your eyebrows. She said she genuinely liked you at the end of the night, but something in the back of your mind told you she was just being courteous. Then again, you hadn't actually done anything for her, and she didn't ask for anything else after she finished.

"Do you mean that, or are you just saying that to try and get in my pants again?" you teased.

Her voice stopped being so flirtatious, taking on a more serious tone. "Y/N, I mean it." She reached across the desk, taking your hand in hers and squeezing it gently. She had a sincere look in her eyes as they stared deeply into your own, and the usual smug look on her face had dwindled away. All week you had been building an image of her in your mind as a player you needed to push away, but now you considered that maybe you were letting trust issues get the best of you. She placed a soft kiss to the back of your hand, and you felt the worrisome thoughts begin to fade away.

The moment was interrupted when the intercom machine on her desk beeped.

"Nobara?" Maki asked, pressing the speaker button.

"Hey Mocko, a package is here for you," she replied.

You let out a soft laugh. Mocko?

She pressed the button again to speak. "Nobara, I thought I told you to stop calling me that." You could see her face scrunch up a bit, and you smiled.

"Yeah, whatever." Nobara replied. "Just go downstairs and pick it up whenever you're ready."

She ended the call.

"Mocko?" you laughed, covering your mouth with your hand.

"Don't call me that," she scoffed.

"But it's suchhh a cute nickname."

"Too bad, don't care." You looked up at her, grinning.

"Is Makin Zenin embarrassed?"

"No," she said, running a hand through her bangs. Your eyes trailed over to her exposed arms, a feeling of desire creeping up your body. You got up from your seat, walking over to her side of the desk. You pushed yourself up to sit on the edge, watching as her eyes flickered over you.

"No? Then why are your ears so red?" you said, extending a hand to push her hair up.

***

Sitting closer to her , you noticed the faint smell of a saccharine cologne, You cupped her face in your hand, turning her towards you. She stiffened a bit as your thumb grazed lightly over her skin. You stared down at her, looking at the way her white button up hugged her chest in the perfect way. You ran your hand down her neck, trailing your fingertips over her broad shoulders. She sat still in silence as you continued your ministrations.

"Something wrong?" You asked. "I thought we were supposed to be talking." You bit your lip slightly, continuing to stare at her.

"Go ahead and take it off while you're at it," she teased.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Are we gonna talk, or are you just gonna keep eye fucking me?"

You smiled, getting down from the desk and standing in front of her. "Not everything is about you Maki," you said, climbing onto her lap.

"Seems like it is."

You shifted your weight down on her and she reached up to hold your hip.

"No touching," you said, grabbing her wrists and placing them on her sides, holding them there for a few seconds before letting go. She tilted her head to the side, giving you a confused look.

"We're just talking, remember?"

"Okay," she said, squinting skeptically at you. "Tell me about your week then."

"You seriously wanna hear me talk about DNA and molecules? Isn't that a little boring compared to all this?" you said, turning to look around her office.

"Well, if it's you talking about it I wanna hear."