Cruella Oneshots (GXG)

Hate To See Your Heart Break

requested by anonymous. inspired by Hate To See Your Heart Break - Paramore.

Cruella P.O.V

The rays of sunlight invaded the corridors at Hell Hall like a painting, giving vibrancy to the dark mansion as I made my way to my office. My heels tapped the floor along with the cane in my left hand, and I could even hear Jasper and Horace preparing their breakfast downstairs. The sense of home and familiarity made me smile to myself.

Before entering the room, I glanced outside through one of the windows. As usual, Y/N's white Ford Escort was already parked at the entrance. She's always on time. Good girl.

The smell of black coffee filled my nostrils as soon as I opened the door. Y/N was sat at one of the leather chairs facing my desk, wearing an all-white outfit that contrasted with the dark maroon walls and black furniture of my office. She held two cups in her hands, her eyes were mindless staring at the take-out bags placed in front of her. She looked lost inside her thoughts.

"Good morning, darling." I said in a casual tone as I sat down.

"Good morning, miss De Vil." She responded emotionless.

The lack of enthusiasm coming from her voice made me frown. Ever since I hired Y/N as my assistant a few months ago, she has always greeted me with wide smiles and an incomparable energetic behavior. Quite annoying, of course. However, as much as I despise her excessive happiness at such an early hour of the morning, it seemed strange not to be bombarded by her upbeat demeanor.

"Did you get my order?" I questioned, pointing at the paper bags from my favorite bakery on my desk.

I knew she did. We ate together practically every day, almost as part of an silent agreement between the two of us. The same order every time. Y/N has never failed me, and her competency was what made me decide to keep her for longer than anybody I have ever hired. Her pretty face had nothing to do with my decision, obviously.

"Yes, miss." She handed me my coffee. Still no smile. "Slightly toasted cheese croissant and a small slice of apple pie. No whipped cream."

For the first time, there was no story about weird guys in line when she went to pick up our breakfast, or how the taxi drivers in London just keep getting more and more reckless each day. Not even one single comment about my black coffee and how I am capable of drinking it with no sugar. "It tastes like death", she would say.

We ate in silence, the birds cheerfully singing outside was the only sound I could hear. Still no smile, still no futile conversation. I studied her face while she remained quiet, trying to notice anything different. Nothing. She looked the same, ravishing as usual.

"You are weirdly quiet today, Y/N." I said between bites. She finally looked me in the eyes for the first time this morning. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing." She responded coldly. "Everything is okay."

It was quite obvious that she was lying to me, but I decided to not push her for truthful answers. Perhaps working without her irritating  cheerfulness will be far more peaceful. I am not concerned about her personal life, after all. As long as she is doing her job right, I couldn't care less about her mood. Or her adorable laughs. The way she stutters when she talks too fast. Her beautiful smile. For God's sake, why is she not smiling?

The minutes went by and Y/N remained the same, only talking to me when it was absolutely necessary. If I was aware of how being in silence with her would bother me so much, I would have never asked her to politely "shut the hell up" a thousand times in the past. The coffee even tasted a little more sour than usual without the sound of her voice. She can't stay like this forever. I need to do something.

"I noticed my bookshelf is getting messy again." I said sharply as she worked on my agenda for the day. "I want you to organize every single shelf, top to bottom. Alphabetically."

I smiled wickedly while waiting for her answer. If my plan works accordingly, she is about to complain a million times about how organizing things is the worst activity ever created by humanity, and somehow even manage to make me ask Jasper to do the job instead. It appears that telling her no is a difficult task.

"Sure, miss." She responded without even looking at me. "Whatever you wish."

Enough. There is something going terribly wrong and I must know. My Y/N would never respond like this. Mine?

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" I placed my pencil on my desk as she finally made eye contact once again. "Why are you acting so weird?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm acting normal."

Bullshit.

"We've been here for more than an hour and you still haven't annoyed me yet." I responded angrily right away. "Just tell me what's wrong so you can go back to being your irritating self."

"My mom died a year ago today, okay!?" She yelled at me for the first time ever. My heart sunk. "Can you not be mean for just one day and leave me alone? Oh my God, I hate working for you!"

Remorse began to gnaw at me as Y/N stood up and stared at the large office window, her back turned to me. I was unfamiliar with the sensation of regret, but I couldn't help but curse myself for pushing her and being unnecessarily rude. The mere thought of being on bad terms with her made my mind twist.

I got out of my chair carefully, taking small steps towards the window. I placed my hand on her shoulder in hope to get her attention. She kept staring at my front yard, the sunlight now illuminating her face.

"I understand how you feel." I said softly. "I lost my mom too, did you know?"

She faced me quickly with a surprised expression. "No, I didn't."

"It happened years ago." I sighed heavily. "But the emptiness never goes away, does it?"

She shook her head. "Never."

"I apologize for being so insensitive." I squeezed her shoulder gently. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Perhaps a hug would be nice."

Hugs usually repulse me, but the opportunity to hold Y/N just seemed strangely irresistible to me.  I opened my arms wide, and she did not hesitate to hook our bodies quickly. I thought it would be awkward, perhaps even inappropriate to be affectionate towards my assistant. However, as I held her tightly and her head rested on my shoulder, it felt like the surest thing I've ever done in my entire life. The warmth from her embrace was incomparably better than the sun now hitting the two of us.

She cried softly, and I realized how much I hate to ser her heart break. It would be foolish of me to deny that I am concerned about her life, after all. I do care about her mood, her adorable laughs, the way she stutters when talks too fast, her beautiful smile. For God's sake, I just want to see her smile again.

"I don't hate working for you, y'know?" She said against my chest. I chuckled.

"You don't annoy me, y'know?"

"I know."

I could feel her smile as she spoke. Mission accomplished.

The door to my office was still open, and I noticed when Jasper took a look inside as he was passing through. An annoying smirk painted his face once he realized what was happening in front of him, my hands caressing Y/N's hair as we rocked softly side to side.

"Go away. Now." I mouthed.

He did go away, but I could still hear him singing through the corridors:

"Y/N and Cruella, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g...."

hey there, lovely people! as always, i hope you enjoyed this sweet chapter. your feedback always makes me happy, so feel free to comment whatever you like. the semester is almost over, so i'll soon have more free time to write! i hope life is treating y'all good, darlings!

love,
M