Electronic Darling || Yandere!Mobster X F!Reader

꒰ 6 ꒱

You went to bed almost as soon as Giovanna left. It was late and you'd had a long day. You contemplated taking a nice hot shower, or even a bath, to help you relax, before remembering the camera in there and dismissing that idea. You would have to bathe eventually, but you didn't have to do it right now.

You still needed to change, though. Apparently what you wore at the photoshoot was just a fraction of your new wardrobe, because the drawers and closet were already practically full. So much so that it took you a while to find a pair of pajamas. But you eventually found a number of lacy nightgowns after rooting around in the underwear drawer.

You undressed facing away from the camera, but you could practically feel it boring into your back. Was the footage live or recorded? Who was watching it? You ought to jot these questions down for the next time you speak to Giovanna. But that raised the question if you would be speaking to her again, or had she washed her hands of you.

Just getting into bed was a struggle. There was a massive pile of Sanrio plushies reclining back on the mountain of pillows. You picked out your favorite from the bunch to cuddle and tossed the rest of them to the floor. You'd pick them up in the morning. Maybe. You were of the opinion of why make the bed when you'd be unmaking it the next night.

Waking up in that anime girl's paradise the next morning --or, rather, the next afternoon-- was pretty surreal. You knew you'd get used to it in time, but right now you were still aching for your old bedroom in your childhood home.

Wiping the sleep from your eyes, you shuffled to the bathroom to brush your teeth and then to the kitchen to eat brunch. Both rooms were completely stocked with more stuff you would ever need. There was a twelve-step Korean skincare regime lined up on the bathroom counter, and more Japanese snacks and beverages than you could count in the kitchen cabinets.

While rifling around the kitchen for some time, you happened upon a box of Calbee Fruit & Granola and thought, Eh, good enough. So you opened the bag and started shoving handfuls of dry cereal in your mouth like a starved racoon.

That's when there was a knock on the door.

Who could that be? You wondered as you put down your snack on the stove and walked over to the door. Giovanna?

Looking through the peephole, you discovered it was a woman you had never seen before: a blue-eyed brunette wearing a flowing midi dress with a matching gingham apron. She was leaning on a wooden cane with a massive strawberry cake balanced in the other.

You unlocked the door but put the door chain in place, just in case she had impure intentions.

You opened the door as far as the chain would allow and peered out. "Hello? Who are you?"

"Hello, I'm Aun. Miss Romano sent me to help you get started on Cloud Nine." Her voice was light and airy, like she might just blow away like a balloon at the first breeze.

"Oh! I'm--"

"Cu. I know."

"Oh, yeah..." Were you not supposed to use your real names, even casually? "Here, let me get the door." With that, you closed the door and disengaged the chain lock before opening it again.

"Thank you," Aun said as she crossed the threshold. She seemed to be getting around pretty well with her cane, but you still gave her a wide berth, just in case she needed the extra space. She walked over to the kitchen and placed the cake stand on one of the counters. "I like your apartment. Here's a little housewarming gift for you. If you like it, there's a cooking video up on my channel showing you how to make it."

"You post cooking videos?"

"Yes. Arts and crafts videos, too. While the darling ASMR are undoubtedly viewers' favorites, they'll watch almost anything if they like you enough. Revealing glimpses into our lives is imperative for building parasocial relationships."

"I guess so," you said, reaching up to awkwardly scratching the back of your head. Then, realizing you were being a bad hostess, you added, "Feel free to sit anywhere. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Thank you," Aun answered before taking a seat at the kitchen table, tracing one of the strawberries embroidered onto the tablecloth with her finger. She looked out of place in your apartment, a spot of natural colors in a sea of pastels. "Do you have any tea?"

"Probably... Let me look!" After a bit of puttering around the kitchen, you managed to find a kettle, a steeper, and an assortment of loose teas. "Ummm... Do you want black, white, green, or herbal?"

"One of the black teas, please."

You set everything out before putting the kettle on and taking a seat across from her. "It shouldn't take long."

"That's not a problem. In the meantime, there's much we need to discuss."

Oh, you bet there was. "To be honest, I don't even know where to begin."

"There's no need to be nervous. You already started. You have picked out a name and aesthetic and taken your promotional pictures. Now you just need to plan out your videos and streams. I'm guessing by your apartment that you like video games and anime? You can do a lot with just those two hobbies."

"I suppose..."

While Aun obviously noticed your reluctance, she didn't address it. The most she did was sigh. "You can get by just posting a darling roleplay video every week... But if you want to be a success, you're gonna have to post something daily. It might as well be something you enjoy."

What if you didn't want to be a success, though? You just wanted to do the bare minimum necessary to earn your protection. You didn't voice this discontent, though. Instead, you forced a small smile and nodded along.

"Now, what kind of yandere are you looking to attract?"

That was a dumb question. "Uh, none?"

"Well, yes, that's usually the case when you're out in the wild. But now your safety hinges on doing your job as an e-darling to the best of your abilities." You could tell Aun was starting to get impatient with you.

You could understand where she was coming from. If you went out of your way to help someone only for them to drag their feet the whole time, you'd be pretty annoyed too.

"I don't know."

"Well, it's something to think about. I recommend making a video tailored to obsessives, possessives, and protectives, and then catering to the type that gives you the most attention."

That was certainly an idea. The sudden shrieking of the boiling kettle saved you from having to reply. You took your time brewing the tea, didn't rush. The silence between the two of you was a comfortable one.

You only cut through the quiet after setting the teacup down in front of her. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Go right ahead. I'm an open book," Aun murmured, blowing into her steaming cup before taking a little sip.

"How long have you been an e-darling?"

"Almost a year now."

"Why did you decide to become one?" It was only after the question was out of your mouth that you realized how stupid it was. "It's just... I'm thiiis close to being a shut-in, but you seem more like an outdoor girl."

"You're not wrong. But the outside is unsafe for me, now more than ever. You too. E-darlings are like the manic pixie girls of every yandere's dreams. All it takes is one person recognizing us and we're gone in a flash."

"Has an e-darling ever quit?" You asked.

You immediately regretted it. Aun, misty-eyed, quickly looked away from you, becoming much more interested in the tablecloth again.

"Yes. A friend of mine, by the name of Sky. But, please understand, you can't just walk away from this life. You're not allowed to."

You wanted to ask her what she meant by that but didn't want to upset her any further. Instead, you reached across the table and touched her hand. She stiffened at the contact initially before latching on, cradling your hand in both of her own.

"Just--" Her voice crackled, so she swallowed hard before trying again. "Just promise me you'll try your best... Alright?"

"Okay."

"Promise?" She insisted.

"I promise," you answered, feeling like you'd just hammered down the final nail in your coffin.