Sweetness and Light ✓ || Hueningkai X Reader

Chapter 1

Los Angeles, California
June 2018

"What do you want to do with your life?"

The words ring through your head as you pack your bags, as you get in the car and your mother drives you to the airport. They echo as you get on the plane, as you fly through the sky, looking out the window, watching the world you knew disappear. And they echo even louder as the plane lands at LAX, as you retrieve your luggage from baggage claim, as you walk out into the midnight air. It's warm here in Los Angeles, even at night.

Looking up at the starless sky, you hear it again, in your thoughts. What do you want to do with your life?

"Sweet pea!"

You turn with a smile, recognizing the voice immediately. Your Aunt Mary has always lived in L.A., in the apartments at Marina Del Rey. You've come to visit her on holidays, soaking up the sun on Christmas instead of playing in the snow. And now, you're going to be spending the entire summer with her...with a few conditions, of course. This isn't a vacation. You'll have to find a job and get to work figuring out the answer to that question that won't leave your head.

What do you want to do with your life?

Aunt Mary has always called you her favorite, and she has always called you "sweet pea." From anybody else, it might sound a little offensive. But since Aunt Mary is the only woman who calls you that, you don't seem to mind at all. In fact, it almost seems special.

"I've done up the spare bedroom on the side for you," she says as you load your luggage into her car, then climb in. "And don't be in a rush to find a job! I know your dad says you need one, but you should enjoy your last summer of your high school days. You just graduated, after all! Your entire life is in front of you."

Yeah, tell my dad that. Aunt Mary is your father's sister. You can't help but wonder if they're both up to something, sending you all the way here to L.A. to 'figure out your purpose in life.' You bet your dad's still mad that you didn't want to go to college straight out of high school. He was hoping you would go to his alma mater. Now you just feel like a disappointment.

But disappointment is the last thing on your mind as you ride in Aunt Mary's car across Los Angeles. Everything seems so big and bright here, even in the middle of the night! All of the buildings are lit up. The roads seem to go on forever and the street corners have exciting store fronts that you would have never imagined in your hometown.

It's great to finally be here. Step 1: move into Aunt Mary's spare bedroom. Step 2: find a job. Step 3: figure out what you want to do with your life. No pressure, right?

You finally pull into a huge wharf, with boating docks set on the water. In the distance are huge apartment buildings. Aunt Mary drives toward the apartments and parks in the garage underneath, then helps you with your bags. You both go up eight floors until she opens the door for you. "I don't think you've been here yet," she says. "You were at my last apartment complex, so this is all new to you."

"It looks fantastic," you say as she opens the door. A small living room and kitchen lay out in front of you, with a door on either side. Past the kitchen is the bathroom, and past that is another screen door.

Aunt Mary gives you the fifty cent tour, showing you her bedroom and then yours, a simple affair with a small bed and a window. She then takes you to the back screen door, showing you the outside balcony. A million twinkling lights surround you as you take in the world of Venice Beach below. There are boats still coming into the harbor, and off in the distance is a huge boardwalk with many buildings.

"We'll have to go down to the boardwalk tomorrow night," Aunt Mary says. "For tonight, you get to relax." And so, you do. Aunt Mary orders takeout, and you both sit in front of the TV and catch up for old times' sake. Since Aunt Mary has always lived alone, she's traveled all around the world, writing for first newspapers and then a travel blog. When she's not traveling, she stays at her apartment here, hence why it's so small.

"I don't need a lover or children to keep me company," Aunt Mary has always said. "The world is my friend."

You think about Aunt Mary's words as you go to sleep that night, surrounded by blankets and an air conditioning unit that is working overtime. Aunt Mary always seems so laid back about everything. That is in direct contrast to her brother, your father, who has always stayed overtime at work and has sometimes come back home after you've fallen asleep. To him, all that mattered was nonstop work, never ceasing. It's not the lifestyle you really want...although, in retrospect, you guess you don't know what you really want at all.

The next day, Aunt Mary packs a bag and takes you down to the boardwalk, appropriately titled the Ocean Front Walk. The boardwalk stretches for what seems like miles. On the right are shops, restaurants, and hangout spots for people of all ages. To the left is the beach, and from the looks of things, today is packed.

"We're not here to sunbathe," Aunt Mary says. "We're here to go shopping! I need a new pair of shoes, and the Cutie Couture shop at the Magnificat always has something that fits my style."

Aunt Mary might as well be talking in Pig Latin. "The what now?"

"Oh, the Magnificat. It's a big mall, you'll see what I mean." And you certainly do when you arrive. The Magnificat is huge, many many stories of mall just off the boardwalk. You breathe a sigh of relief when you step in and there is air conditioning. Turns out there are five floors of shopping here. Who knew?

You walk with Aunt Mary to get her shoes, and as you do, you keep looking in all of the windows, trying to see if anybody is hiring. But from the looks of it, all of the shops are all full up on employees. They've probably hired seasonal graduates from the area, all stocked up. You sigh. It would have been nice to work in a mall with air conditioning.

"How about we go here for lunch," Aunt Mary says once you've left the mall and are back on the boardwalk. She points to an unassuming small restaurant. "Have you ever had Japanese food?"

You shake your head. "You mean like sushi?"

"Oh, way more than sushi. I absolutely love Michi's shrimp dumplings. Come on, you have to try it!" And you are practically dragged by Aunt Mary into the small store. When you enter, you're invited to sit wherever you want, and a man with platinum blonde hair takes your order.

"Now, let's see..." Aunt Mary stares at the man's apron. "I'm sorry, honey, but you don't have a nametag on. How am I supposed to know your name if you don't have a nametag on?"

The man looks visibly flustered, so you butt in. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," he says, looking down at his pad of paper.

"Well...if you don't have a name on your nametag, is there something we should call you?" you ask. "Like how my Aunt Mary always calls me 'sweet pea.'" You don't know why you've suddenly voiced that out loud, but you do.

With that, the man suddenly snaps back to attention. "Oh, well, I suppose you could call me Holt. I -- I have a friend who says I was once called that. I'm used to being called hey you or get back over here all the time." Holt smiles, and with that, he writes down an order of those shrimp dumplings Aunt Mary loves so much, as well as two noodle soups.

When Holt comes back with the food, you're amazed. This is bigger than any chicken noodle soup that you've ever had. The noodles are huge, and so is the bowl. There's a bit of seaweed against the bowl -- you avoid that part -- but the rest of it tastes amazing. The most interesting part is that the noodle soup is actually cold! You would have expected it to be hot, but it's not at all!

"The bukkake udon is perfect for cooling down during the summer," Aunt Mary explains. "Even if the name is a little weird. Holt, thank you for this."

It marks you remember. "Hey, um, Mr. Holt? Is this place hiring for the summer?"

"We sure are!" Holt says with a smile. "Would you like for me to grab the manager? We don't really have a hiring process. He seems to know who to hire and who not to hire. I can talk to him." And by the end of the night, this stranger with the blonde hair has somehow talked you into a job at Michi's Japanese Noodles.