Perfume Etiquette | Geto Suguru x Reader
PAIRING: Geto Suguru x Reader
SUMMARY: actor/model & PA AU - a party, some perfume etiquette & a faux pas.
NOTES: you've had the Fitz Knows Too Much About Art History And Provenance fic. now it's time for the..
[checks notes] Fitz Knows Way Too Much About Fragrance Etiquette, Despite Not Really Wearing any Because They Work Around Aromatic Compunds and the Combination of Smells is Not Good fic!
this was written for Geto aficionados and beloved mutuals @playfulcl0ud and @vennilavee!
apologies for how short it is; it was written post exam & in between pouring my agar plates (am I finishing this degree or is it finishing me? jury's out on that lmfao). I hope you enjoy!
You know it's getting close to the festive season when the event appearances start appearing on your boss' digital calendar.
That's the peril of having a pretty face and being the darling of the J-drama world, you suppose; sex appeal sells, and there's nothing more sexy than the new face of Calvin Klein and the latest foreign language blockbuster Oscar nominated film to sell the relevance of Hollywood.
Not that it's of particular interest or importance to you, of course; you're a member of the hoi polloi through and through.
The closest to celebrity you've ever come is putting up with Suguru Geto, and trying to prevent his sartorial and interpersonal disasters before they happen.
Speaking of which; as he goes to apply his cologne, you drop the lint roller you're passing over his broad shoulders and the elegant lines of his Kiton suit and grab his wrist before he can douse himself in the strong scent, aghast.
"Please, please tell me that's not how you normally apply cologne."
A dark eyebrow quirks. "Unless you're expecting me to break the bottle over my head, sweet, there's not really another way to apply cologne."
You make a wordless noise of frustration.
"That's not what I meant, smartarse. Do you really just... spray cologne all over your clothes like that?"
"Bloody hell, no wonder I always get a headache when you wear the Hugo Boss cologne. Spray some on your wrists and dab them together, then come here and loosen your tie."
Suguru obligingly sprays his wrists with the fragrance and dabs them, before tossing you the bottle. A hand raises to his tie, long fingers working the Windsor knot until it sits at his sternum.
A smirk raises the corner of his mouth.
"Not that I'm not flattered, but I don't really think we've got the time." He teases.
Your ears go hot, despite the dismissive snort you give him.
"Keep it in your trousers, Suguru. Tonight, you're learning how to wear cologne properly. Do you mind if I unbutton your collar?"
When he shakes his head, you step into his personal space and hand him the cologne bottle, undoing the first two buttons of his shirt and holding the collar away from his neck with the back of your hand.
The nail of your pinky finger briefly catches against skin, and he hisses a breath between his teeth.
Suguru huffs a sound somewhere between amusement and annoyance. "S'fine. Just... be quick."
"Right. So, you want to put cologne at the pulse points on either side of your neck. If you're using a lighter fragrance or a perfume oil, you'd put it behind your ears." You explain.
As you say speak, you pluck the bottle of fragrance from his grasp with your unoccupied hand, and spritz his neck with it, swapping hands to do hold his collar away and do the same the other side.
"Next, the back of the neck." You say. "Can you hold your hair out the way?"
Suguru gathers his waterfall of ink black hair into a fist obligingly. You go up on tiptoe, one hand on his shoulder to steady yourself, and spritz the back of his neck.
"Why's the back of my neck need cologne?" He asks. There's an odd hoarseness to his voice, and you frown absently.
The cologne doesn't smell that strong to you.
"So that if someone hugs you, they'll pick up on the fragrance. It's good for getting people to associate you with a signature scent."
"Seems like a lot of hassle." Suguru huffs.
You roll your eyes, lowering yourself back to the balls of your feet and doing up Suguru's shirt buttons.
"Just be thankful you don't have to do the ankles." You say as you turn to put the bottle back on the bathroom sink.
Belatedly, your words register, and you shut your eyes in regret. Turning back to face Suguru, you hope against all hope your faux pas has gone unnoticed.
No such luck; his hands have frozen on his tie, confusion writ across his face.
"Ankles? Why the fuck would I put cologne on my ankles?" He asks.
"That's, uh, more specific to perfume." You obfuscate. "The car is probably out front by now; if you're done, let's head out."
A wicked glee lights in his eyes at your obvious embarrassment.
"Oh no, you don't. Answer the question. Why would you spray perfume on your ankles?"
Submitting yourself to the embarrassment, you mumble the answer.
"So that when you've got them over your partner's shoulders, they'll associate the perfume with you."
Suguru's mouth parts in a perfect oh at your answer, eyes wine-dark, a faint flush flooding the high planes of his cheekbones and hands frozen on his tie.
Newly desperate to leave the suddenly too-intimate setting and escape the unfortunate conversation, you push past him out of the bathroom and head towards the hotel room door.
Caught up with your humiliation, you quite miss the way his eyes trail down your legs to where the jut of your ankle bone is emphasised by your heels, and the considering, sultry smirk that his mouth pulls into as he follows you out of the bathroom.
I hope you enjoyed this fic and the attached doodle inspired by my own cologne of choice (sweetpea, citrus & bergamot, hence the badly drawn sweetpeas) and my cologne bottle. what cologne is Geto wearing in this fic, you ask? Good question! Jo Malone's nutmeg & ginger cologne.
