Design of Fate (Part 2) - Male!Cruella x Reader

Cruella De Vil = Crue De Vil

other characters mentioned in this are all created by me except for reader-chan, of course c:

the dalmatians are out of the picture so please do not expect this to be from the movies I chose a different time for this story ^_^ Enjoy!

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It was already the second day and you finished nothing. Not a single design you made looked satisfying to you and your room was a complete mess from all the scattered crumpled papers, which were all your own works that you rejected. You looked at the clock and it was almost ten in the evening. You sighed, running a hand through your hair. How time flew so fast. You slammed your hands on your working desk in frustration then folded your arms on it and buried your face in them. You shouted just for the sake of letting all the stress out. You were interrupted by the knock on your door but you did not bother to lift your head and look, knowing who it was anyway.

“(f/n)?” your father said as he carefully opened the door, holding a tray that had food and water in it. He walked to you and placed the tray on your desk, putting some of your art materials away to give it some space. He gently rubbed your back. He knew full well how troubled you felt and he honestly felt he was a useless father. “Time for dinner, child,” he told you sweetly, hoping you would take even just one bite.

You finally sat up straight and rubbed the sleepiness off your face. “It’s okay, father. I’m fine.”

“But you haven’t eaten anything the past few days--”

You turned to face him and gave him a rather blunt answer, “Whose fault do you think is this?”

You left him speechless, staring at you agape but you could see the sadness in his eyes. It was the first time he saw you get so mad at him.

You sighed and turned away, facing your desk once more. “Never mind… like father, like daughter. We’re both fools.”

“Don’t say that…” your father said in an attempt to comfort you. He knelt down beside you and took your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You are (f/n) (l/n)! You are a smart woman!”

You pulled your hand away from him and just continued sketching, showing no emotion at all.

Your father just watched as your hand move across the paper. Your chin rested on your other hand. You were very tired having no sleep at all and your father could clearly see that. You looked almost hopeless but he did not want you to lose to Mr. De Vil. He stood up and said, “You know, (f/n), perhaps putting some frills on that side will make it all better.” He just smiled even though you did not see it. He got no reaction from you. You barely moved like a human and acted like a robot under the command of a merciless master. Your father was disheartened that you merely ignored him. He could not really blame you after all he had done. “Well… uh… if you are hungry… there’s food and there’s also water… if you’re thirsty…” He just rubbed his nape and felt broken. He did not know what else to say to his seemingly distant daughter. “Good night, (f/n)...” he weakly said and turned around to leave your room. When he was about to close the door, you finally uttered something.

“Thank you, father…” You sounded monotonous but it still made your father’s heart melt as he looked over his shoulder to look at you. You remained in your position, not looking at him for even once. “It does look nice… with frills….” You were exhausted so it was understandable if you did not have the strength to express how thankful you were to him that he gave you such advice.

“Anytime, dear.” A genuine smile finally formed on his face, glad that he helped you. He finally closed the door, leaving you alone.

~~~~~~~~

You felt your eyes get hot and light seemed to get through. When you opened your eyes, you squint at the sunlight that passed through your glass window. You yawned and stretched, scratching your head and your brain seemed to have not woken up yet but when you saw the time, that was when you fully woke up. “10 o’clock!?” You panicked, searching through your things for the design you just finished earlier at about three in the morning. “10 O’CLOCK!? SHOOT!” Your fast beating heart was calmed a bit when you saw that your design was just under your notebook and a bunch of pencils and markers but you had to hurry. He told you specifically to not be late.

~~~~~~~~

You father offered you a ride to Mr. De Vil’s office but you refused and insisted that you go alone so you just asked for the specific address and called a cab. You just managed to tie the top half of your hair because you were in a hurry and did not bother to tie it in a neat bun like you always did when you went somewhere formal like an office. However, you did dress properly in a plain yellow blouse which you paired with a gray formal skirt. You brought your brown blazer with you just in case it gets chilly.

Finally having ridden a cab, you told the driver the address and started driving. When you looked at the time on your watch, it was already 10:47 AM. You sighed in relief that you still had enough time to go there but little did you know that it would not be that easy.

BEEP!!! BEEEEEEEEP!!!

The sound of the non-stop honking of the cars filled your ears that it was getting annoying. The cab would move from time to time but it would not even be counted as a meter. You looked at the time and, oh boy, were you surprised to see that it was already 11:15 AM. “Oh gosh!” you could not help but exclaim. You leaned forward to the driver’s seat and asked, “Sir, how much further?” You gulped, hoping that you were not too far.

“About a kilometer more, ma’am,” he estimated.

“A- A KILOMETER!?” You calculated how far that was in your mind and assumed that perhaps you could make it if you just ran. Grabbing your purse, you immediately looked for your wallet and handed the driver your payment. “Thank you, sir!”

You hastily opened the door but the driver called after you. “Ma’am, your change!!!”

“You can keep it!” you answered back with a wide smile and closed the door.

The streets were busy, the sidewalks were filled with so many people rushing in different directions. You held the envelope that contained your design very close to your chest. With a determined nod, you ran to the sidewalk, on your way to that man and have your fate decided.  

After running for what seemed to already be more than a kilometer, struggling to push yourself against the crowd and find your way, you could feel your feet get sore. There was a convenience store nearby so you decided to go in first. You took a seat, thankfully there was one, and took your flat shoes off. You were wearing flesh-colored stockings but that did not seem to help as you saw that your toes were a bit red and your achilles tendon appeared to be having a bit of an inflammation too. “I guess should have just worn sandals,” you said to yourself then just bought some band aid to put on the swollen parts of your feet. You checked the time once more and it was already 11:47. “GREAT ALEXANDER!!!” You rushed back to the counter and asked with urgency, “Um excuse me, ma’am, do you happen to know where Mr. De Vil’s office is?”

“Just around the corner, miss! Once you get out of this store, turn right then walk a bit further,” the cashier answered with a sweet smile.

“Oh, thank God! Thank you so much!” you shook the cashier’s hand in great joy that she gave you an almost weirded look.

“Uh-- n-no problem, miss!” she replied, unsure of what was going on.

~~~~~~~~

“Yes, ma’am, may I be of assistance?”

You jumped at the sudden presence of someone behind you. You turned and saw that it was only one of the guards, smiling in a friendly at you.

“O-Oh, yes! I am looking for Mr. De Vil’s office,” you answered with a smile. You were already in the building and it looked more luxurious than you imagined but the thing that bothered you was that you could only see black, white and red even on the employees’ uniforms. Only their skin had their natural color.

“Ah, this way, ma’am,” the guard said with a bow and gestured for you to follow him.

As you walked down the halls, you could only hear your footsteps echo in the marble walls. The floor itself was so shiny that you could even see your reflection clearly.

“You must be Ms. (l/n),” the guard looked over his shoulder as the two of you walked.

Your attention was on the wall decorations, various designs that were lately featured in the fashion magazine. Of course, you knew all about it because you were a fan. Then you were distracted as the guard spoke. “Oh? Uh-- yes, yes, I am!” You nodded. “How did you know, sir?”

The guard chuckled. “I see. The boss is expecting you.”

You looked down, watching your foot as you took every step. “Oh….”

The two of you soon came in front of a posh looking elevator. It was silver and it was really beautiful that you felt ashamed standing in front of it as you saw your wrecked reflection. You looked very haggard. The guard pressed the up button. Just above the elevator was the floor number. It was currently on the eleventh, going down. Later, something buzzed that startled both of you. He took out something from his breast pocket, revealing his walkie talkie. “Yes? Hello?” he said as he put in just in front of his mouth.

“We have a situation down here in the basement, sir.” the voice from the walkie talkie replied.

“I’ll be right with you.” He put his hand down and turned to you. “Apologies, ma’am, I cannot accompany you further. His office is on the eighteenth floor.” The guard simply nodded at you and rushed to the basement where he was needed.

“Thank you!” you called after him then sighed. You anxiously waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor, tapping your foot in impatience and checking your watch from time to time. You checked the other elevators but they were all going up. ‘What’s wrong with these elevators!?’ you said in your mind.

Ding!

‘Oh, thank God.’ You mentally sighed as the elevator opened.

“Going down,” the operator said as you were about to step inside.

“What!?”

“Going down, ma’am,” he repeated with a friendly smile.

“O-Oh… no, I’m going up. Thank you.” The elevator closed and went down. You hoped that this building did not have many basements but you watched the floor levels go lower and lower. “Oh, dear, me,” you muttered to yourself. You looked at your watch and it was 12:11 PM. “SHOOT!” You ran to the other elevators and desperately pressed all the up buttons. “Please, PLEASE!!!”

“Pardon me, miss, are you alright?”

You yelped and jumped at the voice that you just heard. “ROMEO MON--” you were cut off as soon as you saw the man’s face. He had jet black hair and captivating emerald eyes. He was smiling at you, revealing dimples on each of his cheeks. His skin was a bit tan which suit him perfectly. His navy blue coat and tie matched his black slacks and leather shoes, making him look like a charming gentleman. “Oh… apologies,” you said in calmer voice, lowering your head in embarrassment for shouting earlier. “I--I was just startled by your presence, sir,” you sincerely said as you put your free hand on your chest.

He chuckled and said, “No need to apologize. It’s me who gave you a fright so I apologize.” He bowed.

You were touched by his politeness. How rare were men like him these days. “It’s okay, sir. Do stand up,” you said with a sweet smile.

After standing back up, he smiled and his dimples showed again. “May I help you in any way?” He added with his chest out and arms crossed, "Who knows, I might be a genie in disguise, you know?"

You giggled at what he just said and looked at him from head to toe but he did not seem to be one of the employees here as he did not have their uniform so you assumed that he might be a business partner or maybe just some relative of an employee. You folded your arms across your chest as well and decided to play along with his game. “Well, then, great genie! Can you bring me to the eighteenth floor, to Mr. De Vil's office?”

“Mr. De Vil!? Ayayayah! What time is your meeting?”

You pursed your lips for a moment then uttered, “T-Twelve….”

“Oh, no… we better go!” He grabbed your wrist and ran as he dragged you along.

“G-Good sir! Where are we headed!?” you asked in shock that you were actually running in an office with a stranger who even claimed to be a genie.

He looked over his shoulder and pointed his index finger upward. “To the magic carpet!”

By the looks of it, he knew where he was going. Maybe he did work for Mr. De Vil after all.

“Slow down a bit, sir! We might bump into--” You gasped when you accidentally ran into someone. “SORRY!”

“Slowing down is for the weak!” he replied and laughed to himself.

His energy was unexpected. You did not think that someone in his age would act like his was still in his teens.

You stopped in front of a door that said ‘Authorized Personnel Only’.

“Come,” he said as he opened that door but you tried to stop him.

“But, sir we aren’t allowed here,” you reasoned out.

“Just trust me,” he told you with a confident smile. “J-Just um… keep your head down.” He gently placed his hand on top of your head and lightly pushed you down so you were already crouching.

He too was crouching as you entered and you were surprised to see that you were in the kitchen. You almost gasped but stopped yourself because you might attract some attention. Later, you stopped in front of a wall and gave the man a weirded look. “Uh… this is the magic carpet?”

“Shhhh, no, no, no.” The two of you stood up then he gestured at your eye level. “Ta-da.”

Your eyes landed on a dumbwaiter. You were taken aback by that and turned to him. “Are you actually saying…?”

He simply nodded with a tight lip smile.

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes, now go in,” he said as he opened it.

“You’re kidding!” you told him just above a whisper.

“Nope,” he answered. “Now, go before someone spots us.”

You just followed as he instructed you and tried your best to make yourself fit in the ‘magic carpet’. “I can’t do this…” you muttered, hugging your legs as your knees touched your chest.

“Yes, you can. Now go. I know this thing can reach even the topmost floor.” He smiled.

“You’re kidding,” you whispered.

“I am certainly not,” he said with his confident posture. “Have a safe journey, princess.”

Before closing the dumbwaiter, you held his hand to stop him and asked, "Wait! What's your name, great genie?"

He simply smiled at you and answered, "Frank, my lady." He then added, "I have a feeling we'll be meeting again someday so let's just continue this chit-chat when that day comes, alright?" Without waiting for your response, he finally closed the dumbwaiter door. You were on your own.

Frank. Who was he exactly?

~~~~~~~~

You finally arrived to the eighteenth floor, opening the dumbwaiter and almost fell to the floor. “Oh-OH!” You were able to hold on to the door and keep yourself from falling. You sighed in relief and carefully went out, carrying your envelope with you. The kitchen crew were busy so no one saw you step out of the dumbwaiter. Then when you were finally out of the kitchen, the pain in your ankles acted up. “Ah!” You had to limp your way to Mr. De Vil’s office.

There were only three doors in the eighteenth floor, the kitchen door not counted. One on each side of you and another in front of you, which was the only one that had bright red doors and looked much fancier as the other two looked ordinary so you assumed that that would lead you to Mr. De Vil’s office. You took a deep breath before knocking. “This is it.”

Nobody answered. You knocked again and said, “Hello? Mr. De Vil?” Later, you heard chatter coming from the other room which made you all of a sudden curious. You reluctantly took a few steps going towards the other door until it burst open to your surprise, immediately hiding behind it.

“That is a very great plan, Mr. De Vil!”

You gasped at the mention of his name.

“Ah, thank you, Mr. Richards! You know that you can always count on me for such occasions.”

It was him. You could recognize his voice and he did seem happy. He sounded much nicer when he was happy.

“Kennedy?” Crue called.

“Yes, sir?” a man rushed to his side who you assumed to be Kennedy.

“Kindly escort Mr. Richards down to the parking lot,” Crue said. "He is a very busy, man."

“Yes, sir.”

Not a moment later, the elevator opened and Mr. Richards entered with many other members who probably was his own workers then of course, Kennedy who was asked to escort them. You thought it was unfair how fast the elevator got to them compared to you which never really happened. Once the elevator doors closed, silence filled the entire eighteenth floor once more. You trembled, uncertain of what to do that Mr. De Vil was just there.

“Quit hiding there like a mouse.”

You gasped at Mr. De Vil’s words. He did not even see you but he knew you were there.

He shut the door, revealing your hiding spot and his icy blue eyes glared at you. “You’re late.”

“I-I’m sorry, Mr. De Vil!!! I was--”

He halted you with the gesture of his red gloved hand. “Hush. I don’t want to hear any excuses.” His jaw was clenched in anger and you totally just wanted to get out of there. You noticed that he did not have a cigarette with him which looked kind of odd since you always saw him on TV, even whenever he had interviews, with a cigarette. Perhaps because he had a guest so he had to sacrifice not smoking for a while. He rolled his eyes at you and brushed the black side of his hair then simply walked to the door of his office. Looking back at you with his icy cold stare, obviously unamused, he beckoned you to follow him inside.

You were staying there in the corner longer than you thought you were, hugging your envelope. You gulped and nodded at Crue then nervously followed him.

“Close the door,” he said, seated on his red office chair, facing the glass window that surrounded the room.

You did what he told you and then slowly walked towards his desk.

He spun around, now facing you with an eyebrow raised, making you stop halfway. “Hurry up, you little mouse! I don’t have all day!”

His angry tone made you run and stumble as you had a weak ankle. “Ow…” you muttered as you fell on the floor.

Crue simply rolled his eyes at your carelessness.

You tried your best to stand up and handed him the envelope which he yanked from your hands. You bit your lips in anxiousness and fiddled with your fingers as you waited for his reaction. He then opened the envelope and looked at your design.

‘Please, please, please, like it...’ you silently prayed.

“Hmmm…” He rubbed his chin as if in deep thought.

“Well, Mr. De Vil?” you sheepishly asked. Your heart began to beat faster. Each passing second built up the suspense.

With a slam of his hand on his desk, you flinched.

“I like it.” He smirked.

You sighed in relief mentally and tried to calm your wildly beating heart.

“I remember my rookie days with this work,” he lowly chuckled.

‘Rookie?’ you protested in your mind but a frown was apparent on your face. So if he thought of your work as his when he just just a rookie, what made it your past works then? Garbage.

“Bad news though, darling,” he said, clasping his fingers under his chin. “You’re late.”

“B-But sir--” you tried to plead but he cut you off.

“I would love to have you work for me but as a punishment, I will not give you your father’s position.”

“What do you mean, Mr. De Vil?” You did not like the sound of that.

He smirked and he seemed to be very amused at your expression as he pressed a button on the intercom on his desk. “Jonathan.”

“Yes, Mr. De Vil?” someone answered from the intercom.

“Come to my office,” Crue demanded, “now.” Mr. De Vil then looked back at you and gestured to an empty seat. “Sit down, darling. You wouldn’t want to strain your ankles more, would you?”

Speechless for a moment, you were taken aback at his sudden change of attitude towards you. As soon as you took a seat, you and Mr. De Vil heard a knock that made you whip your heads to the door’s direction.

“Come in,” De Vil said nonchalantly.

The door opened and an old gray-haired man poked his head in before fully entering the room. “You called for me, Mr. De Vil?”

“Ah, yes, see to it that our little friend here gets her ankle problems treated,” Mr. De Vil told Jonathan with a smug smile but his eyes were directed at you. “Then you can have her meet her co-workers later on.”

“Co-workers, sir?” Jonathan asked.

“Yes, they’re down there in the basement,” Mr. De Vil answered with his head up as he sat back on his chair. Crue looked back at you and smirked, obvious sinister in the look of his eyes. “Uh, no, never mind. I’ll do that myself but see to it that she tries on her new uniform.”

He was a man who was very hard to read and you honestly did not know what to feel at the moment as you narrowed your eyes at him. It was embarrassing how he looked at you like that, inspecting every part of you apparently, and you just wanted to roughly land the palm of your hand on his smooth light-skinned face. Slap him, in short.

“I’d like to see her in it.” Mr. De Vil smirked like he always did.

After having enough rest, you showed yourself once more to Mr. De Vil, clothed in a polo shirt that was black on one side and red on the other, paired with black slacks.

Crue De Vil clapped and gave you a standing ovation. “Oh, marvelous, darling! Marvelous!”

You did not know if it was sarcasm in his voice but you sure did feel your cheeks go warm against your will.

He walked to you and gently slid the back of his hand down your cheek, sending shivers and chills all over your body as you tensed at his touch. He had an amused smirk once again on his face. “Like my gift?” he said in his low sultry voice.

You were speechless at that time, feeling nothing but embarrassment and warmth in your cheeks. You did not exactly fancy such feelings that made you want to dig a deep hole in the ground and bury your head in utter shame.

Not waiting for any reply from you, he turned you around and grabbed you by the waist that made you gasp and hold that precious breath of yours. Your bodies were too close to each other and despite the fact that you were now leaning close to his fur coat, you could still feel the heat of his body get to you, or maybe it was just you imagining things. He put his cigarette in his mouth then leaned his face closer to your (h/c) hair. “Come with me.” You were being mentally tormented every time he spoke with his low voice. It was a mixed feeling that you did not fully understand. He leaned back, wearing his signature smirk as he led you to your new workplace.

~~~~~~~~

You gasped at the look of your new workplace. Men and even women were carrying boxes from trucks to their designated areas. You were going to be a delivery girl, woman, whatever they called it. “Mr. De Vil I--”

“Half of your salary will go to me.” Crue paced back and forth as he discussed the deal. “As payment of your debt. Also, you have to quit your current job. I don't really promote sidelines with my employees.”

“But that might take me years!” You protested, thinking of how you could even buy your basic necessities when you quit your job at the bakery and half of your salary now would go to Mr. De Vil.

Mr. De Vil was still wearing his signature smug smile as he went to grab your chin with his thumb and index finger, leaning his face closer to yours. “Exactly,” he said just above a whisper.

Anger surged through your veins at his words. He was nothing but a ruthless man who enjoyed in the midst of others' misery. You roughly pulled away from him with a scowl on your face, swatting his hand away from you. “You’re insane!”

He chuckled, thinking of your claim the most ridiculous thing he ever heard. “No, darling," he said proudly with his arms wide open, "I am Crue De Vil!” His laughter was the only thing you could hear echo in your ears then in your head. "You and I both know what happens to your father if you try to double-cross me."

‘What have I gotten myself into?’ It made you question what you have ever done wrong to deserve such predicament... why now? Then you remembered...

You're late.