Chapter Text
☻-Third Person POV-☻
"Good morning, Neighbor!"
Was the first thing they had heard that way courtesy of the town's lovely mailman that went by the name of Eddie. His smile as wide as a mile and his eyes shining brightly as he handed them a neat pile of envelopes that were sent by their dear neighbors. The puppet in front of Eddie had carefully taken the various letters while sending him a smile of their own, saying to the cheery mailman,
"Good morning to you too, Eddie! Right on schedule as always I see?"
Deciding to strike a small conversation with the mailman, they began to look through the letters to see which of their shared neighbors sent them a message today as Eddie perked up, easily noticing the conversation starter. He replied easily as his hands held onto the strap of his satchel, whilst the letter-bound puppet easily noticed most of who had sent the envelopes in the first place as each of their friend's signature designs were upon them. It made the smile upon their face widen by the site, a content feeling resting within them by how used to this little routine of theirs they had truly been.
"Hah, that's right! It's the least I can do as the loyal mailman of Home!"
He had said, and as if to accentuate the known fact, he tipped his hat with a small chuckle. Eddie was clearly very proud of being able to provide such a role, and upkeep it for what he would guess was years at this point. It feels like it, anyhow. He's had this job for as long as he can remember, and he couldn't be more pleased with the fact.
The neighbor in front of the mailman had laughed alongside him, although, had paused for a moment as they glanced over the last letter they had gotten. Seeing that it was a bit more out of the ordinary than what they were expecting.
Usually, the mail that was sent to not only them, but the entirety of the neighborhood, had something that clearly alluded to who was sending it. Whether it was an envelope, package, or otherwise.
However, the letter in their hand defied this with it's bright, rosy hues.
At first, they had thought that perhaps someone like Julie sent this judging by the theme the letter had going on. With it's pleasant red hues, with bits of pink that mingled beautifully with the previous stronger color. But, at the same time, the letter seemed.. romantic in nature. As if it was leftover stock from some Valentines Day from many months ago, if the hearts upon the paper and the singular kiss mark was anything to go by. It had almost made them blush, if it weren't for the fact that they still had company standing merely a foot away from them.
Tilting their head at the mystery envelope, the receiver of such a thing tilted their head up to meet the friendly gaze of Eddie, who perked up by the question that was suddenly tossed at him.
"Hey Eddie.. do you know who sent this letter?"
Handing the envelope out for him to examine, the postman gently took it within his large hands and began to focus on the contents. Turning the envelope the other way, before letting it face him again with a questioning look on his face. With his free hand, he scratched at his temple while handing the letter back to just who it was sent to, shaking his head before saying,
"I don't believe I do, I can't recognize the handwriting. It doesn't match anybody's, and trust me, I memorized them all!"
They had quirked a smile by that, knowing well that if anyone could identify a signature, it'd be Eddie. When there's only a few residents in home all with their specific signatures and you're the mailman for it all, it'd be a surprise if you hadn't memorized them all by heart with the, presumably, years of experience. It just came naturally, whether you could recognize it or not.
With a hum of thought, they'd give the envelope one last glance before turning their attention back up to Eddie.
"Thank you anyways, Ed! I guess I'll be spending a bit of my morning figuring out this mystery then."
They'd say, the smile on their face growing by the laugh that escaped the postman, who would soon calm down enough to say, "Well, when you figure it out, let me know! This 'mystery' has got me as curious as a cat!"
With that final line, Eddie would tip his hat once more before he'd begin his trek to another house, making sure to wave goodbye to the puppet that now had a mystery upon their palms. Making sure to wave back while bidding the orange-tinted puppet good luck, they closed the door to their home before turning their head down to look at the love-filled envelope addressed to them. Looks like their usual morning routine would have to wait. Because what appeared to be a love letter was the only thing on their mind.
Making their way over to the loveseat within their house, they'd place the rest of the letters upon the coffee table on the way there before they took a seat upon the plush cushions. Getting comfortable before they began to gingerly open up the envelope as if it'd shatter with one wrong move, letting a sigh pass through their lips before taking the letter itself out from the paper casing to read what was written upon it.
'Dearly Beloved,
I want to apologize to you before I pour my heart out to you, as I didn't mean for this letter to be such a mystery.
However, I also didn't want the others knowin' about this quite yet! I want this to be a special moment, with just the two of us, if you'll have me.
I'd like to invite you to my Bugdega at five pm. I have somethin' real excitin' to show you!
But, this is only if you want to. Don't feel pressured to come, I'll understand! And I'll respect your decision.
For now though, I'll be waitin' for you.
Yours truly,
Howdy. ♡'
..Gosh. Did it get hot in there, or did the sun itself take the roof off of their house and suffocate them with heatwaves?
If anyone was around, they wouldn't be able to miss just how impossibly rosy their cheeks were as they had finished reading the letter. Their eyes staring down at just the bug who had sent it to them with a nearly blank expression on their face as they tried their best to process exactly what was happening. Were they really being asked out? By Howdy himself? On a date? At five in the afternoon?
None of those words were in Frank's books.
Acting as if they had somehow misread the entire letter, they desperately reread it again as if the words would rearrange to something that didn't have any romantic intentions in the slightest. As if the ink would erase itself, and start anew. But, nothing happened. They read it again, and again, and again, never noticing for how the cherry hue upon their cheeks became brighter and brighter. Until the entirety of their face looked like a pomegranate, and they were left more bashful than ever. Now with the unchanging knowledge that the shopkeeper just a walk away was lovestruck for them, and them alone.
For once, despite knowing they weren't ill, they felt.. lightheaded. And their cotton stuffed body felt as if it were filled with butterflies, that fluttered away where their stomach would be as if it were a field of flowers. It'd be an almost sickening feeling, if it weren't for the fact that it's the feeling they got for the lively little caterpillar that encapsulated their plush heart. At a point like this, they could do nothing but accept it. The letter was dedicated to them, it was clear with how their name was displayed at the back.
It was all the truth.
And now, it looks like they had a date at five with just the puppet who requested their presence.
✎__________________________.
Despite there being a handful of hours left until his little date would arrive to his Bodega, Howdy was an absolute wreck with each and every second that dared to pass by. He had already let The Neighborhood know that he was going to close early; at four in the afternoon to be precise. Yet even far before the store was close to closing, it was extremely hard for him to hold himself together when he was visited by the lovely neighbors of this town. Who each showed concern for the caterpillar who was clearly more jittery than usual, a pair of his hands always seemingly fiddling with each other, and
his head looking around where he stood as if someone was about to pop up and scare the dickens out of him.
Not only that, but he seemed to have a temporary habit of getting startled anytime the little bell above the door of his store would ring as a signal that he had a customer, which never happened before. Perk up, sure. But to look as if his soul was about to leave his body was a stark change from the excited, and happy look he'd always flash the puppet who'd visit.
Even with his clearly unusual behavior, he always assured his neighbors the best he could that he was fine. Just had a bit too much coffee this morning, which truly was a bit of a lame excuse as no amount of caffeine seemed to sway him to such an extent before. And if he was questioned about this, he'd back it up by saying he also added a little bit too much sugar into his mug, causing him to not only have too much caffeine in his system, but far too much sugar. Which was a little less lame, if it wasn't for the fact that he also wasn't that effected by such a thing. Perhaps a bit bothered by an almost constant lingering sweet taste in his mouth, but nothing more.
But despite these facts, it seemed enough for most of the neighbors who visited the store for their usual dailies to let him off the hook. Some looked a little relieved, some looked suspicious, while very few outright didn't believe him in the slightest. But, each and every single one of them eventually left him alone, with the most being a pat on one of his quivering hands, and a request to take a break if he needed it with concern laced in their voices. None of them could help but be worried for their neighbor, their friend.
If only they knew he simply had the case of being a little lovebug, who had fallen ill to the lovestruck sickness.
That routine was what went through most of Howdy's morning until it was time for his early closing of his bodega, his nerves getting even worse with the knowledge that there was only a mere hour left until his date would arrive. Or, would silently deny his request. He didn't know of which was going to happen, yet no matter the outcome, he'd still be just as nervous. Because either they were coming and he had to do his best to impress and make sure they have the most lovely time possible with him. Or, they weren't, which would make him worry if he did something wrong. Worry if they didn't like him the way he liked them. Worry if his months of pining for them were for naught, because they simply thought of Howdy as a friend, and nothing more.
As much as he would respect their decision at the end of the day, it wouldn't mean that he wouldn't feel absolutely heartbroken and melancholy.
Oh, love was just so trivial. Howdy never expected that he'd be tied in such a stubborn knot of his own thoughts and feelings in such a way.
With a sigh, Howdy would flip the little sign strung upon his door to let those who passed by know he was closed for the afternoon, the caterpillar drawing the curtains in addition so nobody could try to peek inside. Privacy is important, especially at a time like this. Smoothing down the silky fabric of the curtains, he'd soon take a deep breath before turning around and putting his lower hands upon his hips, while the others adjusted the hat on his head. His eyes filled with determination as he prepared to get everything ready for just the lovely little neighbor who he anticipated the arrival for, beginning to stride around his store and spruce it up for their date.
Banners he had prepared not too long before were strung up carefully, special smaller lights were placed around the area he had set up near the front of the store, petals were carefully placed around, the theme was set for this special occasion, so on and so on. It took quite a bit of time to prepare, especially as he made sure to perfect it so everything looked just right enough for not only himself, but his guest who would be arriving soon.
Soon... how soon?
As this thought entered Howdy's head, he turned his head towards the veiled windows of his store, soon beginning a steady walk towards them. Pulling apart the blinds just enough to peek through, he looked up at the clock for their town only for his eyes to widen by the time that was displayed before him, the wavy arrows upon the permanently smiling face of the structure telling the large caterpillar that it was four fifty. Only ten minutes until his date was supposed to show to his bodega.
A small, and embarrassingly high pitched scream left Howdy's mouth before he pulled himself away from the curtains as if they had burned him, his arms waving around in a panicked state as he hastily made his way near the back of the store where his abode was. He was so focused on getting the store itself ready, when he himself hadn't even gotten ready. He was still in his work clothes for stars sake! This wouldn't do! If he had a time to stop for a moment, then he would have appreciated just how quickly he had gotten ready. Which proved to be a lot easier than an average puppet would be able to do, courtesy of his multiple arms and legs. With what seemed like the speed of light, Howdy had taken off his work clothes and had put on an outfit he deemed special enough for the occasion. Even managing to have time to fix his hair, even if there wasn't much to be done. It was only a little bit askew than normal, so it was a relatively quick fix in his eyes.
However, it wasn't until he was adjusting the tie that was under the collar of his dress shirt had he flinched in the slightest by hearing the clock outside of his store chime to let all the neighbors know that it was now five. Making the nerves that calmed just slightly in Howdy's innards spike once more, knowing that the time had come. Nervousness combined with anxiety crawled along the green puppet as he began to slowly spiral, wondering if everything truly was ready. All the decorations and the preparations were met, he was dressed up nicely for the occasion, and he knew nobody would be disturbing him anytime soon.
But, what if it wasn't enough? What if he forgot something? What if the decorations didn't meet their expectations? What if this was all no use at all? What if all his efforts were useless? What if..
Howdy froze in the very spot he stood when he heard a sound come from his store, unable to move as he knew just what it indicated. He felt like a statue, not even able to twitch a single one of his pinkies, not able to even let another unwelcome thought swirl around the innards of his head, not able to even say anything if he so wished.
For the bell raised upon the entrance of his quaint bodega chimed.