Work Text:
Honestly, when Peggy first met Taylor, she was pretty sure he was mute. Even now, the most he'd ever said to her at once was when he was training her over the job. And even then, he only did that in the case he wasn’t there for the day because he apparently prefered cooking to interacting with people. The only times he wasn’t there was when he was sick.
Taylor was just a weird little guy. Peggy liked that in people. She couldn’t help but want to get to know the boy better, but they never really got a chance to talk to him properly. While they never had to work through the full game (they rotated shifts with two other workers she didn't quite remember the names of) he’d only really stick around if it was a team he liked playing, and even then he’d always go to sit by his roommate. Even off work he always had his earbuds in, and frankly Peggy felt it common decency not to make him take them off if he didn't want to.
Then, one day, after closing he was in one of the employee-only seats.
“I thought you usually sat with your roommate?”
Taylor jerked upright and stared at her before relaxing again.
“Oh, Chuck? Yeah, usually, but he had a photo shoot today.”
“Does that usually take a while, or..? Sorry, I’m not that familiar with the modeling industry.” Peggy sat in the seat next to him, not really wanting to stand the whole time.
“Yep. Back when I worked at a clothing store, before we were roommates even, he was modeling for our summer catalog and I had to stay there the whole time, can’t remember why. Well, it started at ten in the morning and when I left it was dark out.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, that’s why he let me have the car.”
They both went quiet after that, just watching the game. Taylor because the interaction had ended, Peggy because she was trying to find a polite way to ask why he was so quiet all the time. She didn't want to be too blunt, but at the same time she didn't want to beat around the bush too much, just in case it came out sounding even ruder.
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
“Well, I don’t want to be rude, but… Why don’t you speak that much?”
Taylor looked a bit confused. “Well, first of all, why would that be rude?”
Peggy shrugged. “I couldn’t really find a better way to word it, so I thought it might be too blunt.”
Taylor just laughed a bit, “Honestly I prefer it that way. Easier to understand what’s being asked. Anyway, I’m just not really that talkative, I guess. I used to be back when I was a kid, but I guess as I grew up I just kinda shut up. It just helps me concentrate better.”
“Yeah, I get that too. Just less of a distraction, y’know? Only need to focus on one thing.”
“Yeah. I don’t know, a lot of people think I’m weird because of it. I would’ve hated going to high school with them if that was the case back then.” Taylor paused for a moment to cheer at the first out of the game. “Too many conversations going on at once just kills me.”
“Really? I mean I find it annoying, sure, but to have that bad of a reaction… are you ok?”
Taylor’s face dropped a bit. “...That’s just an autism thing, isn’t it?”
Peggy half snorted while laughing. That was really fucking obvious! Why’d she immediately think the worst case scenario was the case?
“Stop laughing! It’s not my fault my professional normal person isn’t here!” Taylor shouted, laughing.
“I thought Chuck said you were the professional normal person?” Peggy asked.
“We take-” A call of “SAFE!” Was made by the announcer of the game interrupting him. The two had completely different reactions in unison.
“YEAH, GET FUCKED YOU TOMATOES!”
“THAT’S AN OUT AND YOU KNOW IT, YOU TOASTWOOD COCK SUCKER! We take turns being the professional normal person. Chuck’s better at picking up social cues, but… dear god, have you seen him? Like, I love him, but over half of his closet space consists solely of Calypso shirts and Khakis, and that makes the former-clothes-store-worker in me enraged. For a model he has no fashion sense outside of summer.”
“Damn, is that true? Like, I understand, most of my shirts are just flannel-”
“Flannel's a year round thing in my opinion. There’s not really a bad time to wear it, but dear god I think I’ve only seen Chuck wear long sleeves twice out of the ten years we’ve lived together.”
“Not counting winter, right?”
Taylor just turned to Peggy with a completely straight face. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to say anything to get his point across.
“Please tell me he doesn’t willingly wear short sleeves during the winter over here.”
Taylor kept the expression, but just shook his head. It genuinely sounded like he was stifling his laughter. Peggy could not fucking believe it. Tastyville was cold throughout most of the year, only warming up during the summer, according to her. How could that guy just stand the cold like that! It was insane.
“Why do you still live together?” Peggy asked, half joking.
“That’s the worst thing about him to be completely honest, he’s really nice otherwise. A bit of a dick sometimes but he still cares a lot. We joke about it a lot whenever anyone asks when we started dating.”
“Well, are you?”
“Well, yes, but we don't remember when that even happened so we joke that we aren't.”
“That explains why he hit on me before he knew I worked with you.”
Taylor laughed at that. “Oh god, he told me about that! Literally the first thing he said to me when I got off work was, “Your coworker cockblocked me.””
“It wasn’t so much I cockblocked him as it was me just trying not to die laughing when he realized I wasn't you. I’m taller than both of you, how did he not realize sooner?”
Taylor was unable to stop laughing, so he just shrugged.
Peggy cussed under her breath as her team got a third out for the inning. They used to be so good, what the hell happened here!
“God, the Turkeys are sucking this year.” Peggy complained.
“I know, it’s amazing!”
“No it’s not!”
“Wait, you’re from Toastwood, aren't you?”
“Yeah? What about it?”
Taylor went quiet as he watched the game. He didn't memorize where his coworkers lived, he never thought it was important! He only memorized names and birthdays because he liked doing nice things for them on birthdays.
“...Sorry.”
“Eh, it’s not your fault. I never really brought it up before.”
“What do you do over there?” Taylor asked. “Like, as a job I mean.”
“Cow wrangler. I grew up on a farm so it’s pretty easy for me. What do you do?”
Taylor kinda went quiet. “This is my job. Like, I used to work at a nearby clothes store, but they moved locations and I refuse to work in a mall, that’s just sensory hell for me. I mostly took this job because I like grilling things and I don't have to talk to people that much.”
“...OK, now I feel weird because I only signed up for the season pass.”
“That was obvious from your first day.”
Peggy flushed as Taylor chuckled. She didn't know that she had to take orders AND watch the game when she first started! She didn't even know she had to work that day! She was from halfway across the country, she didn't understand the big city.
“I honestly thought you signed up for the same thing.”
“Nope, I just like grilling.”
“How long have you been working here, by the way? At least before I came.”
Taylor began counting on his fingers and quietly mumbling. It was a few seconds before he shrugged and said, “like… I think it was about a year before you came… I'm not sure though. I don't remember how much time passed between the store moving and getting hired here. I do remember you were one of my first customers, and I only remember because you got the exact same order I would’ve got, minus the jalapeños.”
“Coward.” Peggy joked.
“Listen, I do not enjoy spicy food.” Taylor explained. “Like, unless it is certain salsas, I will avoid it like the plague.”
“Point still stands.”
“I grew up in Maple Mountain, give me a break! I’m not used to eating things and having my mouth lit on fire immediately afterwards.”
“Doesn’t Chuck work at that Wingeria place down in the Atomic City?”
“They have mild options there too. I can eat there, I've done it-” he was cut off by his phone ringing. “Give me a sec, that’s Chuck.”
Peggy turned back to the game as Taylor answered the phone, occasionally hearing half of the conversation from Taylor. She focused on the game until Taylor tapped her shoulder again.
“I gotta go. Chuck gets off in a few minutes, and I’m picking him up. See you on Thursday.”
“Yeah, see ya.”
As Taylor ran off and yanked a red jacket on, Peggy couldn’t help but zone out of the game. Taylor was still as weird as ever, but she felt as if she understood him at least a bit more. At least she got one of her many questions about him answered. Maybe, if given the chance, they could become friends.
Yeah that’d be nice.