Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Candles scented like buttholes and cocaine. A charcuterie board shaped like a penis, a whole-ass gasoline-fueled flaming sword.
Drawings of whatever your future twin flame might look like. - She bet Kravitz would fucking love that one; if she showed up to his and Taako's place for the holiday celebrations and gifted his boyfriend a drawing of a completely different dude. -
Actually... Not the worst. Definitely not her worst idea thus far, though a gag gift isn't exactly a gag gift if you're the only one laughing.
The twins had learned that the hard way when Taako had pulled Johann's name out of his (gaudy) wizard hat for their Secret Santa celebration three years prior. An event which they'd all agreed never to mention again.

Back to Etsy. Lup was fairly sure she'd already reached the website's unspeakable debts. The side of the cutesy little 'oh I'm a loving parent who enjoys making cookware for other loving parents' website that had never been meant to be.
A glance at the corner of her laptop screen told her that nearly three hours had passed since she'd first started her search.
Three hours that included multiple snack-and-pee breaks and one This-One-Youtube-Video-Won't-Hurt break, but still. This was easily the longest Lup had ever spent finding Taako a candlenights gift, and so far it wasn't looking like her quest was coming to an end any time soon.

The blonde craned her neck in an attempt to relieve the dull ache that she'd started feeling in her neck about fifteen minutes ago and groaned softly as she shifted her shoulders- careful not to accidentally toss her laptop across the room from where it was perched on her lap as she did.
Just five more minutes. She needed to add at least two more items to her maybe-list, and then she would allow herself some snooze time. Some closed-eyes-goodness. Some cuddles with her mountain of pillows.

Never, ever in her entire hundred-and-something life had Lup Taaco expected that she'd have an easier time finding a present for her brother's fiance than for her actual, literal womb roomie.
(She'd adopted a raven for him. From one of those websites that promise you weekly pictures and then send one maybe once every couple of months and it's always clearly different birds. It was the idea that counted. As well as the fact that she'd immediately been asked to put a name down. Welcome to the fam, Pookiewantscuddles17.)

Lup tossed her legs onto the couch, pulling her computer closer to her chest as she refreshed and scrolled through the explore page. Refresh, scroll. Click and repeat. Rugs that were meant to smell like cherry blossoms, unfortunately shaped sex toys. Depending on who you asked, sure. Nothing nothing nothing. There was plenty of shit she wouldn't have hesitated to add to the shopping basket for her own sick needs, of course. Of course she wanted a toilet flusher that made explosion sounds whenever pushed! Of course, she wanted shoes with crudely drawn flames in non-textile-friendly marker all over them! But Taako had alluded to getting her something good this year, and she simply couldn't settle for the first cool thing she found. It needed to blow him away. A conversation starter. Maybe even get him a little teary-eyed. Why the fuck not. She was shooting for the stars already, might as well go beyond.

She blindly reached for the side table, managing to locate both the bag of crisps she'd thrown down earlier and then, after grabbing a handful, her mouth. Careful not to touch her keyboard with her now contaminated paprika-dust fingers as she clicked from page to page. Hoping every somewhat interesting offer would lead to a more exciting one.

And fuck if it did.
No one would have expected for 'Clown painted flower pot' to lead to 'Customisable taxidermy! Message for details, please. (Non creepy.)'
But it did.
Staring Lup down was an image of what seemed to be a working-boy mouse, wearing a pair of slightly baggy Bluejeans and holding a tiny little briefcase. It was elegant and graceful and kind of horrific but in a funny way?
A quick scan of the listing told Lup that all animals were ethically sourced, which she nodded at solemnly with pursed lips.
The reviews seemed enthusiastic enough. One by one praising this 'HallwinterMakes*' dude with his apparent craftmanship.
Not that she would argue with that. Lup didn't know shit about taxidermy, but the pictures on the profile seemed legitimate enough and most definitely better than anything she could do, which was all she needed to hit the 'Message the maker!' button below the listing.

L.T. :
- *prtty sure 'non creepy' is what deffo creepy peeps say.
- Lke,, who r u to say that antyhow, rght?
- s that what u do? decid what the average person will find creepy and whatnot?Lol. Anyhow- Howd ya feel abt wizard hats my guy?*

Finally giving up on her one-handed writing, the elf pushed her laptop aside and rolled off the couch, catching herself mid-fall and making her way to the kitchen to wash her hands, humming softly under her breath.
It would be funny. She was just going to think about it. It was probably going to be too expensive anyhow. Even if the thought of giving her brother a mouse-miniature-Taako had her genuinely excited. it was definitely unique. For SURE a conversation piece. and-

A soft ping came from her half-closed laptop, alerting to blonde to an incoming message. She eyed the three dishes she'd promised herself to clean that morning and then hadn't gotten around to- biting her tongue with a roll of her eyes as she pushed up the sleeves of her (Magnus'?) hoodie and got to work. Lup kept grinning down at her hands as she rinsed and cleaned her cooking supplies and hurriedly dried her hands before tossing herself back onto the couch and clicking into the Etsy conversation, which she now no longer was the only participant of.

HallwinterMakes:
*Best L,
Thanks for your concerns. The 'non-creepy' bit was directed at myself more than at my work. Though, reading this back I'm pretty sure you're right in that it probably has the opposite effect. Any suggestions as to how to correct this? No Worries if not! I know it's none of your concern. Might write into one of those anonymous magazine question things to resolve this? Anyhow. I'd say I feel pretty positively towards wizard hats? I'm assuming this is in relation to the listing? If not then I still feel pretty solid about them.
Cheers,
Barry.*

Oh. Lup grinned down at her screen, fingers flying over the keys as she wrote out her next response. This was going to be a fucking blast.

Chapter Text

12.12 - 4.07 P.M
HallwinterMakes:
Best L,
Thanks for your concerns. The 'non-creepy' bit was directed at myself more than at my work. Though, reading this back I'm pretty sure you're right in that it probably has the opposite effect. Any suggestions as to how to correct this? No Worries if not! I know it's none of your concern. Might write into one of those anonymous magazine question things to resolve this? Anyhow. I'd say I feel pretty positively towards wizard hats? I'm assuming this is in relation to the listing? If not then I still feel pretty solid about them.
Cheers,
Barry.

12.12- 4.12 P.M.
L.T. :
try Top Of The Pops mags, ive heard they're rlly good when it comes to their anon question bit

collum?

awesome! Ok sick dude so how much wld it be for a little wizard guy? No brooms or anytng just the hat would be fine.

Maybe a skirt? My bro (the dude ill b givng this to) loves a good skirt. honestly feel free to kinda go buckwild on this one. the more disconected and chaotic the better rlly. just dont put any potter shit in there and we'll be good!!

12.12 - 5.39 P.M.
HallwinterMakes :
Best L,
I'll make sure to draft them an email. Perhaps a letter, handwritten and perfumed,- though I'm not entirely sure how well that would translate in their magazine based on the photos that popped up during my search, which might as well have taken another couple of points off my prescription. Honestly, I'm not even sure if this message will still reach you, as the image of Ariana Grande seems to have been burned into my retina. Guess I'll have to have Blind Faith.

You should be able to find the pricing under the listing! I understand it might be a bit confusing with the whole customizable thing, but really it's a bit of a hassle to put a million different options in, so the base price goes for pretty much anything? And then after your purchase, I'll forward you a link where you can put together the outfit you've decided upon. Hope that makes sense. Feel free to let me know if you've got any more questions!
All the best & I'm glad the 'creepiness' hasn't scared you off, haha, Barry

13.12 - 00.14 A.M.
L.T. :
Holy shit Barold dude you gave me a lot to unpack there

first of, cant believe you threw a fuckin pop reference at me that's great

also r u making ppl play extreme makeover games to dress their TAXIDERMY mice????! is that what ive just read? cuz im pretty sure thats exactly what you said but in a fancier way and im so down for it

ALSO thats such shitty business dude and im not saying that to bring you down believe me, ch'gal loves a good deal and im deffo not arguing but like,, i dunno if you can really compare a t-shirt mouse to a dragqueen mouse?

price wise, t least. feel free to compare their lives however you wish im not the boss of you obvs

but you shld deffo charge for the time u spend making little jeans for ur shop, right? you dont wanna go and make the jeans feel worthless, what kinda business etiquette is that
sorry its past twelve which means ur getting the full, unfiltered thing. call me cinderella except that my fingers are the carriage and at twelve they go back to writing whatever the fuck they want to, even i cant control tjem i promise

13.12 - 2.16 A.M.
HallwinterMakes :
Thanks.

13.12 - 02.17 A.M.
L.T. :
shit dude, I didnt mean in a bad way.

Your work is really impressive and I think you're undermining your own art by asking too little for it. Clearly a lot of time goes into your work, and your pricing deserves to reflect that. Super wasn't my intention to like,, bring you down?

13.12 - 2.24 A.M.
HallwinterMakes :
L,
Oh, you're all good! Sorry for scaring you into using near-proper punctuation.
I was just considering what you said, and I really do appreciate it. I guess I do find it difficult to reflect on the value of something I mostly do as a hobby? Then again, that's probably something to think about when it isn't.. well, any time other than 2.30 am would probably be preferable, hah. Also, I have to inform you that it seems like the metaphor has kind of gotten away from you. Let me know when you figure it out.
Thanks again and have a good night, L
Barry

13.12 - 02.25 A.M.
L.T. :
oh

youre welcome

13.12 - 02.49 A.M.
L.T. :
its Lup, btw

L.T has completed the transaction!

13.12 - 2.50 A.M.
Automated response:
Heya! Thanks for your purchase! please follow the link and send me a screenshot of your end result! Have a good one!

13.12 - 02.51 A.M.
L.T. :
HOLY SHIT

Chapter Text

As it turns out, Disney Minnie Mouse dress-up games do not include purple sparkly wizard hats in their wardrobe collection.
This is something Lup knows now, for some fucking reason.
And it isn't just the game Barry forwarded to her. It's all of them. Or none of them, more accurately. Disney apparently draws the line at letting feminine mice be their best wizard selves. Even Disney knock-offs with Minnie's that look like they've been thrown into a blender do not seem to appreciate the great aesthetic that is wizardhood. The more you know, huh?

"Disney does wizards, yeah? Like,, I'm not making that up?"
Kravitz, to his credit, barely looked up from his laptop screen, taking a long sip from the mug in his hand as he considered the question. "'bout ninety, I'd say. Is this the sort of stuff you usually think about whilst closing, or is this a special occasion?" The bridge of his nose wrinkled pleasantly at the smile he tried to hide behind his mug, warm eyes flitting to the counter which Lup had most definitely *not* cleaned yet.
The elf huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face before reaching up to tuck it behind her ear, tightening her ponytail.
"That can't be right dude- name fucking thirty of them and I'll believe it." She blew a raspberry in his direction and grabbed the cleaning rag from where she'd hung it near the sink, giving the counter a quick but efficient wipe-down.

"I'm pretty sure there's like,, seventeen in Wizard of Waverly place alone, Lup."
The coffee shop Lup worked at was a couple of streets down from Kravitz's office. Tucked away in an alley, filled with vintage furniture and mismatched mugs and art pieces. Often Kravitz would join her for the end of her shift, finishing up his own work as well as the leftover baked goods. It was nice.

"Oh shit, Ghostrider, we've got the painting sesh tomorrow, you mind helping me prep the tables?"
Once a month Lup hosted something she called 'something with Lup'- A name that had taken her approximately two seconds to come up with, but which captured the concept perfectly.
Lup was someone who enjoyed doing things. Even if she shit at it. She enjoyed discovering stuff, trying out new techniques, or finding new hobbies that would last her a weekend before she got bored of them.
She didn't have the space at home, and so the cafe turned into her atelier every first Tuesday of the month, and anyone was welcome to join. This month she'd decided that self-portraits were going to be her thing- and so her tip money had gone to paints and paper, and she'd asked everyone she knew to donate a mirror with the promise they'd get them back after the session.

Her phone pinged from her apron pocket. Sometime during the course of the last couple of days, the Etsy app had been downloaded onto her mobile. Because why keep refreshing the website if you also could get message notifications? It was more practical, really.

They hadn't spoken much, and it really wasn't a big thing.
Lup would send something out of pocket and stupid (her own MSpaint version of a wizard mouse), and Barry would send back something surprisingly witty whilst attempting to remain professional ('fbevdkjc w CHRIST?????? Kind regards, Barry')
It kept her entertained, and hopefully she'd get a sick present out of it at the end.

She got working on cleaning the coffee machine as Kravitz started laying old newspaper down on every surface that could possibly be ruined by pain spatters- As well as leaving some spots cover-free by Lup's insistence. For art's sake.
"So, will you tell me?" Kravitz asked after a moment, following up on his question a second later when spotting the look of confusion that crossed the elf's face. "The wizard thing. Special occasion?"

Lup slipped her phone out of her apron, tossing it onto a nearby table as she undid the tie behind her back, easily tugging the thing off over her head and stuffing it into the washing bag she was meant to take home.
"Oh! Not really, dude. Just prepping for the holidays, y'know how Ko gets about this stuff."
She rolled her eyes fondly, scratching the side of her nose with a chipped orange nail. "Besides! it's always good to have facts like these ready. You never know when they'll come in handy."
Lup knocked her shoulder into her brother-in-nearly-law's, tossing her arms above her head to stretch. "Ready to dip? You guys are welcome to come over and help me finish the curry I've been eating for the entirety of the last week. Let me rephrase- I'm fucking begging you to. One more day of curry and that'll be the end of Lup as you know her."

Lup grinned at the chuckle she got for that, red-painted lips pulling over gapped front teeth.
"I'll consider it." Kravitz agreed, grabbing both their coats and passing Lup's hers. "As long as you promise no more wizard talk. I get enough of that at home."
She couldn't even be pissy with him for that, not when the dude looked so sickeningly smitten at the mere thought of her brother.
"Gross." She shooed Kravitz out of the shop, snatching up her phone and enabling the alarm before following behind him and locking up.

Her phone screen lit up with another message, and Lup had to bite her tongue not to grin at the little preview picture that popped up in her notification center. Barry had taken to sending her pictures of his earlier work, which existed entirely out of mice and rats wearing fully denim outfits, as he was just recycling his own old clothes for his projects. It was fucking hilarious. A little denim army of taxidermy.

L.T:
- U evr make urself? do people ever ask for that??
have yo ever made RAT ELVIs??? his legacy wull continue through your work
"Taako asks what time you want us there, and if he should bring the kid along. He's watching Angus tonight."
Kravitz asked, looking up from his own phone. "Should we give you an hour or so to get ready?"

There was no getting ready, and Kravitz knew that. Though Lup did appreciate the sentiment. With other people, sure- She'd tidy up a bit, throw on some nicer clothes.. but this was her family. She felt comfortable enough with them not to do any of that.
"Sounds great. I'll see you in an hour, my dude. Thanks for keeping me company." She beamed at him as she bumped her fist against his unexpecting hand. She'd stop by the corner shop for the good wine, to thank him.

But first, an hour of peace and quiet and a couple of messages to respond to.

Chapter Text

If there was one thing that definitely should never ever be in or around coffee shops, it was mice. Dead or alive. Even if they were wearing little tutus made out of scrap denim.
There was no way to justify it.
And she could hardly invite the man over to host one of her 'something with Lup' days and then have it be just the two of them in her apartment- for obvious reasons.

He'd just seemed so excited when she told him about the flash tattoo session they'd done earlier that year. Where they'd gotten a professional handpoke artist to give a little demo, and then handed out orange peels for everyone attending to give it a go.
Lup had freehanded a flaming skull which had ended up looking like,, well,, mostly just a big blob of ink. Still, when she managed to locate a photo, Barold had liked it enough to promise her that WERE he to ever give in to the lifelong temptation of getting a HeartMom tattoo, she'd be the first person to know.

Maybe she could get spaghetti-filled mice plushies and have him do a tutorial on those?
But then again, it wasn't like she could ban kids from coming in, and she didn't have the money to pay for their therapy bills for the irreparable damage that would do to them. Especially not after having invested in thirty mouse stuffies.

Lup's head hit the beans-shelve with a soft thud, her hands pressing into her eyes as if the pressure might somehow give her clarity. She groaned, pulling back to rub at the now sore spot and murmuring a curse under her breath at the clearing of a throat coming from the other side of the counter.
Taako. Obviously. They'd closed over thirty minutes ago and thus far Lup hadn't done anything but stand around and mope.
"Looks productive, Lulu. New technique? Tryna bang your head against the shelves until.. what? The vibration makes the beans grind themselves?"

"Fuck off, Taako." She did slump into him the second he was within reach, dramatically dropping her head onto his shoulder, which was significantly softer than the hardwood she’d been banging it against a second ago.
"Ch'boy isn't gonna push anything," Long, manicured nails ran through her curls,- fucked from a full day of having been up in a bun. She winced when he caught a tangle, but didn't pull away.
"Because honestly, Lu, you're too fuckin' stubborn so I know you won't tell me anyhow,"
Lup made sure she rolled her eyes hard enough for him to feel it against his shoulder. "But you can."

"That's the thing, Ko. I like- super can't." She waved her hands around as she spoke, taking a step back to avoid hitting her brother in the face. "Hella can't tell you right now. But you're also the only person I would tell. Trust me, babe. But I'm good. Lup's just chilling. Allllll... gooood." She drawled as she shot him a smile that was so fake it would've gotten her onto Santa's naughty list as a 'blatant fucking liar'.

Except that she wasn't, because she really was fine! If anything, she was fucking great! If you could afford your biggest problem to be not knowing how to ask a dude out for a non-date, you're good. And she stood by that.

Lup caught her brother's eyes and shot him a lopsided smile, her hand coming to rest on top of his for just a second as she squeezed before pulling back and bumping her fist against his chest. She understood his worry. Of course she did- she'd be all fucking over him for it had the roles been reversed.
"Seriously. Thanks for checkin', Doofus."

Taako's lips curled up in performative dismay at the softness in his sister's voice, mascara-coated lashes hitting his perfectly done brows as he rolled his eyes. "Yikes, no need to go all mushy on me, Goofus. Grosserooni. Yuck. Ch'boy just wanted to make sure you stop moping and ruining my lattes. Milk was burnt to hell and back, Lulu." He flicked his fingers at her face, a grin pulling at his lips- the relief in which was visible.

"C'mon babe, I've got a Notting Hill CD with our names written all fuckin' over it. Pack up the pastries and I won't tell Ren you've been pestering me during closing up." Lup blew a raspberry at her brother, easily jumping out of the way of the teaspoon that was thrown at her head, their laughter melodic and loud as she got her ass back to work.

-

Her problem solved itself miraculously a couple of days later. With Candlenights drawing closer and closer, Barold had taken to sending more photos of his work in progress of what they'd proudly begun calling their Little Taakito.
Outfit only, as Lup would always respect Taakito's modesty and also her own sanity. That was something she did not want to see, no matter how skilled Barold was at what he did. She got enough of that in uni.

He would send over fabric swatches, and had taken to fucking embroidering onto the fabric when she'd made an offhanded joke about it. The dude had even tried his hand at dyeing for the first time- spending a ridiculous amount of money on Ritt only to later realize the dye he'd bought wouldn't take on synthetic materials and having to do the whole thing all over again.
And when she casually asked if he went through all of this effort for every single one of his customers, Barold immediately changed the conversation to the new board game his mom had gotten him to play with her.
(She's smart as a whip, Lup. I'm telling you. By the time I managed to understand the basic rules of the game, she'd already beaten me seven times. I think you'd like her.)

The only thing she had yet to see was the hat she'd so kindly requested in their first conversation. She'd seen heels and jewelry come by, little mouse stockings, but hide nor hair of a sparkly pointy headpiece.
She wasn't worried. Had no reason to be. Thus far Barold had been incredible when it came to keeping her up to date with where he was in the process. Making sure she was involved with every decision that had to be made. There was no way he could've forgotten either, as Lup had taken to sending hat-related puns every single day. A subtle nudge without making her feel like she was being pushy about it.

(Shoutout to blog.burbankids for their '127+ hat puns that will surely make you laugh' article. She hadn't laughed once, hadn't even come close to chuckling upon reading them, but Barry seemed to enjoy them decently- if the thumbs-up emoji he'd started sending in response was anything to go by. To the point where she started questioning if maybe he'd just set up an automatic response system to every message that included the words hat, cap, beret, or bonnet. 19 puns sent. Just 108 more to go)

She broke him at pun number thirty-two, which was much sooner than she'd expected.

08-01 at 08.42 PM
Barold BlueJeans:
Hey Lup,
I've written this out about fifteen times but nothing sounded right? So now I'm just kind of writing it as I go, to give it that authentic feel, and hopefully you won't be upset or anything.
So, basically, I've watched pretty much every existing YouTube tutorial on wizard hats. I've downloaded and printed patterns, I even joined a LOTR cosplay Facebook group for a bit to see if they had any advice? I don't know what or why, but I've made nearly a thousand at this point and I feel like I might be losing my mind a little bit, and they just don't?? look right?? And this is no modesty either, I remember what you said about that, but apparently, it genuinely is just really difficult to adapt hat patterns to mice? Even if this should be the easiest pattern there is pretty much? Like it's just a cone with a circle right? WRong, apparently. This is my downfall, I can feel it happening. Death by wizard hat. I'll be drowning in them if I don't stop now. They're popping up everywhere and I genuinely think they might be conspiring against me. Made them too magical, I guess.
Anyhow, I'm really sorry for letting you down. I'll give you a discount, obviously, and I'll find a sticker pack somewhere to add to your order to make up for it?
The rest is all packed and ready to go.
apologies,
Barry

Please stop sending me the hat puns now. They're so bad Lup, I can't even begin to explain the dread I feel upon reading them. (Joking, of course, but the request still stands.)

08-01 at 11.12 PM
Lup Taaco:
-U dude u shouldve just said!!
- ive made like a thousand for Ko growing up i can make those bitches in lit no time
-i blink and a perfectly made wizard hat is made fr fr
11.34 PM
- i could show u how if you want? like if ur up for it and have the time of course
cld schedule in an emergency tuesday, for the holiday season and stuff. get a group of larp enthusiasts together. theres more of them aroud than ud ever know. hiding in plain sight and all of that
- but yeah. offer stands. tuesday only tho since thats the only time before the celebrationthat im actually free. and then u can foever make them for futute orders

08-01 11.41 PM
Barold Bluejeans
Hi Lup.
Thanks. I'd like that a lot.
Barry.

Chapter Text

Sildar 'Barrry' Hallwinter had been standing one street over from the coffee shop for nearly twenty minutes now.
He'd entered the street about twelve times and had managed to reach the door of the shop thrice, before promptly turning on the heels of his worn-out docs and making his way back to the corner, where his pacing was constant and his heart just about trying to climb up his throat to freedom.

He could blame it on the hats, of course, and he wouldn't hesitate to if asked. After failing to make about seven hundred of them, he might as well have started having a Pavlovian response to them. Call him the mad hatter because he was mad,, and hats were the reason?
He'd work on that one once the panic attack had passed.
Maybe.

He wasn't even sure what there was to be afraid of. Just Lup, who he'd been in a constant conversation with for nearly a month. Who was funny and annoying and kind.
So, so kind, even to a dude she didn't know.
Lup, who took time out of her day to teach a guy about millinery. Just because she wanted to. Like how she'd just wanted to let him know his work was worth more than what he was asking for it.
And when she just wanted to let him know she was really enjoying their conversations and was dreading not having him to chat with anymore once her order was completed.

Lup, who had become a fantastic distraction during work breaks, and who had the most interesting takes on movies Barry had ever heard. Even if he did disagree with most of them. (She tended to criticize the lack of explosions and sharks, Sharkside of the Moon being one of her all-time favorites.)

Lup, who was now teaching a group of strangers about making mice-sized accessories, and Barry wasn't even there to provide witty commentary and most importantly, to learn.

Alright. A deep breath. Or two.
He propped his foot up on the sidewalk, redid the cuffs on his jeans with quick precision, untied and then retied his laces.
Gods know with his luck he'd trip on them the second he set foot in the coffee shop.
But embarrassment was not on the menu today. Give him an oat latte with three extra shots of confidence instead, pretty please. (And also not with too much oat, as he hated the taste of it but couldn't stand black coffee. A drop or two would do, and apologies for the hassle.)

He barreled in before he could think better of it- welcomed by the scent of freshly baked banana bread and a wave of warmth that made his glasses fog up instantly.
Barold gave a half-assed attempt at wiping his feet on the door mat -which was likely effort than most people put in, based on the state of the floor after a couple of hours of the shop being open- removing his glasses to give them a quick wipe down on the sleeve of his jacket. The denim only managing to create streaks on the glass rather than clean them as intended. A mistake he had made many times before, and one that he apparently was never going to learn from.

"Catch!" Came a call from further inside the shop, the voice lilting even on a single syllable.
Barry put out his hands in reflex, his eyes squeezed shut as he waited for something to hit him- knowing that trying to catch anything without his glasses on was out of the question, and so trying not to get hit in the head would be his best option.

He stood there for what felt like an eternity, arms outstretched and his head ducked between hunched shoulders.
A cackle rang through the shop, ugly and loud, and Barry cracked one eye open to witness an elven woman pick up a handful of napkins from the floor, her laughter now directed at him as she lifted her head to meet his eye.
"Sorry, my dude, Kinda forgot that napkins don't throw very well." She waved the ones she was holding around as if to showcase this fact. "These still work for you, or would you like non-floor ones? No judgment here. Ch'girl's all 'bout the environment and shit, but I would also understand not wanting to get pink-eye."

She was standing at the head of a make-shift craft table- which looked to be about three of four different-sized tables pushed together with a long cloth thrown over it to make it look somewhat cohesive. There were about five people sitting at said table, all having paused their work to watch this interaction play out.

Her blonde curls were put up in a messy bun, held together with with looked like an entire store's worth of clips and bobbins. The few strands that hadn't made it into her bun had been braided carefully.
Her smile was big and bright, blue-lined eyes full of joy and mischief.
She looked like the moon personified.
Which wasn't a thought Barry had ever had in his forty-seven years of life, and which definitely wasn't a train of thought he was going to follow up on.

Barry dropped his hands to his sides, a patchy red spreading out over acne-scarred cheeks. "Huh. I think I'll survive a floor one. Unless that's a liability issue?"
She shrugged, way too casually for someone who should definitely know about this kind of stuff, holding the napkins out to him with one hand as she readjusted her apron strap with the other. "Ehhh beats me, dude. Probably?" She grimaced playfully, easily turning on her heels to grab another napkin, depositing the others on the craft table for the time being.
You could probably pattern with napkins, right? Sure, the pattern wouldn't last you much longer than a couple of hours OR two seconds of rain, but still. It was the thought that counted and all that.

"Guess best not to risk it. Now- if you're here for coffee, you can find that at the counter over there. However, if you're here for a life-changing experience, I'm sure the rest of the group wouldn't mind catchin' you up."

"Well, consider me sold." Barry agreed with a laugh that only sounded a little bit like the air had been punched out of his lungs, taking a seat as he got to carefully cleaning his glasses- which doubled as a moment for him to catch his breath.
All of it had happened so fast that he hadn't even had the time to consider whether this was her or not. Logically, he knew it couldn't be anyone else. His brain wasn't quite there yet, though, too busy trying to get the ringing in his ears to stop.

She plopped back down in her seat, legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. Her many earrings clinked together delicately as she tilted her head, green eyes calculating, catching on his jeans and denim jacket combo.
Faded red lips pulled into a smile. "I'll grab you a drink, Angus will catch you up on what you missed. What name should I open the tab under?"
They definitely didn't do tabs. Whoops. Guess the guy just got himself a free drink.

Barry tugged at the scarf he had tied around his neck, one of his mother's creations. It had been one of her very first projects, and though imperfect, it sure did keep him warm. "A water would be- I mean, if it's not too much effort I wouldn't mind a coffee? With oat milk, if you've got it. Or.. any other sort of non-lactose milk, really. It's really just the cow stuff I've got issues with." He wasn't going to bother her with his milk/coffee ratio preferences, he'd already made enough of an ass of himself.

A sharp tug at his sleeve got him looking to his left, where a smartly dressed kid was sitting, curly hair perfectly kept underneath a patched-up cap. "I don't mean to keep you from your tangent, sir, but I'm sure everyone here would enjoy to keep cracking on! So if you're ready, I took a whole bunch of notes that you could look through!"
Despite the kid's chipper tone of voice, Barry couldn't help but feel like he was definitely getting scolded by a nine-year-old.
"Right,- shit,- whoops, I mean. It's uh, It's Barry."

Turned out, Angus had somehow managed to write the instructor's words down verbatim. Every slip-up, every expletive used,- up to the very moment Barry had come in and temporarily disturbed the momento of the course.
The kid seemed happy enough to help him still, excitedly chattering away about the hat he was currently hand-stitching. Careful and neat.
Barry had that patience for dead rodents, not so much for pieces of scrap fabric.
He decided to keep that little titbit to himself, though.

"How we gettin' on, boys?" A mug was put down in front of Barry- clearly bought at a charity shop once upon a time, as it depicted a photo of the royal family as cartoon dogs. "See, I woulda sworn they were ravens on this, which woulda been more appropriate, considering." She gestured animatedly as she spoke, hip jutted out.

"I mean, guess mice woulda been best, but a bit on the nose, maybe." She scratched at her jaw and tilted her hair, freckled nose wrinkling pleasantly as her top lip curled over gapped front teeth in a soft grin. "Thought you'd bailed on me for a sec there, Bluejeans."
Her attention turned to Angus, flicking at his cap as she crouched down next to him. "You treatin' our Special Guest nicely, kid?"
The boy rolled his eyes, nudging his round little glasses back in place as he nodded dutifully.
"Sure. But I will not take responsibility if his hat comes out.. different." He added quickly, with a skittish glance at the pattern the man was in the midst of drafting.

"Well, we don't close until nine, so Mister Bluejeans has a good couple of hours to get it right. And I'll consider giving him a hand if it's real bad." She shot Barry a wink and squeezed Angus' shoulder before getting up again,grabbing everyone's attention by clapping her hands together.
"Right! Embellishments!! I want every single one of these hats embellished the fuck outta it. No boring hats are allowed in this shop! Johann this is your second strike." She joked, shooting finger guns at a sulken looking, beret-wearing man sat further down at the table.

-

It wasn't going well, necessarily, but he'd definitely done worse. And it was fun.
Angus struck up a conversation as they worked, at first clearly out of polite disinterest, only to then bombard the older human with questions when finding out he was a physicist. He kept up better than most adults did as Barry explained what his job entailed, excitedly rattling on about his own fields of interest when Barry asked.
Before he knew it, an hour had passed and his hat was finished. Beading and bows and everything. Not perfect, but an extremely solid first try, according to Lup, who posed the tiny hat proudly when Barry showed it to her.

The other crafters slowly trickled out, as well as the other patrons at the coffee shop, until it was just the three of them left.

"Get your coat on, doll, Kravitz is here to pick you up." Lup hummed fondly as she started wrapping the two-and-a-half impeccably made hats Angus had created during the workshop. "We can finish this one later if you want. Or you can do it yourself and show me next time." She handed Angus his coat, winking twice with either eye as she not-so-subtly slipped a wrapped piece of leftover cake into the bag.

"Tell your dad I say hi and that he should answer my fucking texts, and also send me that one recipe." She pressed a swift kiss to Angus' temple.

"It was nice meeting you, Mister Hallwinter." The kid said earnestly, wrapping his arms around Barry in a quick hug, surprising both him and Lup.
"Yeah, you too,, kiddo? No that sounds- Angus. I enjoyed our chat a lot." He offered his hand up for a fist bump, which Angus accepted with a snicker before waving goodbye to both Lup and Ren and hurrying out of the door to the car that had pulled up a couple of minutes earlier. The driver of which waved at Lup before taking off.

"I can- You want a hand cleaning up?" Barry offered, now extremely aware that he was the only person keeping them from closing, but not yet ready to say goodbye just yet.
"Are you not gonna finish that, Bluejeans?" She asked, gesturing at the hat he'd just started on. Which would take him at least another forty minutes to finish. Which she was very much aware of, having watched him work on the hat before this one.
"You know what? I guess I've gotta, huh? Now that I've got the uh, the Master here to tell me when I'm messing up."

There was relief in her smile as she took the now vacant seat next to his, watching him for a moment. "Try smaller stitches. It's a bitch, I know, but I promise you it'll look neater. here- Lemme," She took his needle from him, waiting for Barry to give her the go-ahead before showing him how she would normally do it. She was slow in her stitching, though Barry suspected this was mostly done so he could actually try and follow what she was doing.

"Seems like all 'a this would be a lot easier with a glass of wine." Barry joked, taking note of the way Lup's ears jumped up.
"A man after my own heart, Bluejeans. I'll grab the red. You stitch." She laughed at the look of surprised amazement on his face, continuing before he could ask. "I've been off the clock since three, my guy. Totally legal and cool and chill."
She paused for a second as she stood, his hat still in her hands.
"You really are as big of a nerd as I thought you'd be." She decided on in the end, handing back his masterpiece and gently knocking her fist against his shoulder.

"C'mon! To work! I've recently watched Sharkula and I need to tell you all about it!"

Chapter Text

"I've gotta give him credit; it was Ko's idea to set his mailbox on fire. So I did, because fuck that guy!"

Barry nodded sympathetically, though his lips were pulled into a smile where they were pressed against the rim of his wine glass.
"Fuck that guy!" He agreed, setting down his glass after taking a sip and reaching for a pen in his chest pocket.
He pulled one of the napkins towards himself, quickly scribbling down a message and trying very hard to ignore the way Lup leaned over his shoulder to get a look. Her hand on his back to steady herself.

'01100110 01110101 01100011 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100001 00100000 01000111 01101001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100001 01100011 01101011 00100000 01001100 01110101 01110000 01110011 00100000 01101101 01101111 01101110 01100101 01111001 00100000 01101111 01110010 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101001 01101100 01100010 01101111 01111000 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01101110 01100101 01111000 01110100 00101110 00101110 00101110 '

"There ya go. It's, uh-"
"Dude, did you just write in fluent binary? Holy shit." She cackled, green eyes wide and excited. As if Barold had just handed her the most precious thing. "What's it say?" She held it up to the dim overhead light as if that would somehow provide answers.

Their knees knocked together when she turned back, folding the napkin with the utmost care and slipping it into the bag that stood at her feet.

-
They'd been all set to go. Barry had been kind enough to help get rid of all the excess hat materials, and Ren had done a general sweep of the counter before she left,- leaving only the machines to rinse.
Barold had put his coat back on and had looped the scarf around his neck, waiting awkwardly for Lup to finish up so he could say his goodbyes.
"Bein' closed doesn't mean we've gotta dip, Barold. I mean, ch'girl wouldn't mind if you hung around a little longer. I've got no plans."
Casual whilst still getting her point across.

Within three seconds the coat and scarf had been removed, and the two of them had opened a second bottle of wine.

-
"It's basically- Okay so,- I'd say it's a gentle reminder to give you back your money." Barry chuckled at her grin and the roll of her eyes.
"Uh-huh. I'll make sure to pass the message on. Thanks, Bluejeans, perhaps now I'll finally get the revenge I crave." She sighed dramatically, swirling her wine around in her glass before taking a sip.

"And deserve. The guy sounds like an asshole, Lup."
He wasn't going to berate her for her choice of boyfriends after having met her six hours prior, but it sounded like Lup was on the same page as him in regards to this Grimaldis guy.

"Believe me, I know. The only thing redeeming me is that Taako's got worse taste than I do." She grimaced, nose wrinkling as she took a swig of her drink, red clinging to her lips when she lowered the glass to her lap.
"Until he met Tall, Dark, and absolutely perfect, of course."

The elf motioned at one of the many photos put up on the walls- a candid taken of Lup, sitting in the corner of the cafe with a younger Angus in her lap, big grins on both of their faces. Perched on the arm of Lup's chair sat a striking man, the resemblance to her clear as day even from a distance. he seemed to be telling a story, arms raised in the midst of a dramatic retelling.
Just across from them sat the Car Man, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit with perfectly shiny shoes. He looked relaxed, though, despite his fancy regalia, eyes practically heart-shaped as he watched his partner as if entranced.

"Kravitz," She let him know, melodic voice soft with fondness. "Ko snuck into this party- I think it was a fancy lawyer thing? Free fancy food to criticize." She shrugged as if that explained everything.
"Anyhow- Krav noticed, Obvs, Ko doesn't exactly have Lawyer Etiquette, went to question him. Taako freaks out and starts like,, trying to flirt his way out of the sitch?"
Lup hesitated for a second, shifting in her seat as she pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth.
"I've gotten this story from two perspectives, and I'm pretty sure Kravitz's retelling is more accurate. According to Taako, someone must've slipped something peanut into his drink. According to Ghostman, Ko started stuffing his face the second he got caught."

Barry snorted a laugh, using the table to stabilize himself as he got up to get a better look at the photo.
"I can see why you'd find the latter more believable." He agreed, eyes lingering on Lup's face for a moment longer than they had with the rest of the group. It still felt unreal. To have a face to the name.
Not even just a face,- but to be able to see her excited gestures as she spoke, her voice- her laughter, which was loud and ugly and turned into hiccupy snorts at the end of a fit, and which kind of made his stomach do somersaults.

"I think I've got a pic somewhere. Ko shot me a selfie while Kravitz was driving him to the hospital. Dude pretty much saved his life. Asked him out over Facebook Messenger a couple 'a days later, been together ever since."

She spoke of her brother with so much love and fondness. Lup was someone who cared strongly, a trait evident from the very first time they spoke.
Barry could relate, to some extent. It had always been him and Marlena, even before his father had passed. He adored his mother more than anyone. Looked up to and admired her. She'd always been the first person to encourage him to follow his dreams. To go out of her way to make sure he had access to the things he needed without ever being overbearing or spoiling him.
Him wanting to go into the same field of work definitely helped with that, of course.

He was pulled out of his thoughts at the press of a shoulder against his own, Lup's chin on his shoulder as she passed him her phone.
She'd asked about it, earlier. Had made him piky promise that if her touchiness ever got too much, she'd be the first to hear about it.
("I grew up with Magnus, babe, he made it impossible not to be a touchy person. Oh shit- I keep forgetting you don't know these people! Honestly, Bear, it feels like I've known you forever.")

"Oh shit- and he made it all the way to hospital?? That's- do you guys not carry around EpiPens?" The Taako now displayed on the phone screen looked significantly less happy than the Taako in the photo- though that could very well have something to do with the fact that his face was twice its usual size, one eye swollen completely shut.
"Well he sure fucking does now."
Lup swiped through to the next photo, which was an incredibly blurry picture of Someone -Barry would assume Kravitz- behind the wheel.
Captioned 'Dn't wait up for m lol'.
Which, admittedly, was pretty funny.

"You must be happy for them." He craned his head to look at her.
"Over the moon." She agreed with a smile, swiping her thumb over her phone screen before closing the device, tossing it onto the table.
"You must be crazy busy with commissions 'round this season, huh?"

Barry huffed. "Ish? I've mostly been kept busy by this one crazy lady who seems to be obsessed with wizards, for some reason." He lifted his arm just in time to protect himself from the playful smack that got him, laughing at Lup's exaggerated offense.
"No it's been pretty manageable. Can't take too many commissions at once, with work and stuff. I'd say I'm pretty fortunate, now that I'm in a position where I get to choose which orders I find interesting 'nough to get to? Obviously, everyone will get theirs,- but yeah. Can't take 'em all at once."

"Oh? So mine was interesting enough?" She asked with a lopsided grin, poking his cheek, reaching out with her free hand to refill her glass. She held the bottle up in question and set it down again when Barry shook his head.
"No I've gotta,- It's two hours to get back home." He'd completely lost track of time, but it was definitely sometime after seven- the coffee shop having been closed for a while now and the moon having made her appearance.
"You drove two hours to get here?"
"I mean, took the train,- but uh, yeah? Wouldn't have wanted to miss it."
"Barry, my dude, what the actual Fuck?"
Barry looked up with a start, thick brows knit together in confusion. He opened his mouth, shut it again, and watched as Lup rubbed at her right temple.
"Sorry, lemme get this straight. I know how expensive trains are, Barold, don't even try to fool me. First, you ask me to underpay for the pretty fuckin' intricate piece I've commissioned. Then you spend a ton of money on hat stuff. Hats which, if memory serves, will never be used. Then not only do you travel for four hours, you also spend a fucking fortune on it. Correct?"

Barry was so lost.
"I guess? Yeah."

Lup clacked her tongue, eyes fiery as she watched him but not unkind. Calibrating, more like. "So let me ask you this again; what made mine interesting enough?"

"The commission was pretty interesting. Different, for sure. But uh,- I dunno, Lup. I guess it was you? In the least creepy way. I mean, you said it yourself, it feels like I've known you forever. And I just.. Didn't want to stop talking to you." It was so easy to admit. Both because of the drink and because of how true it was.

"I'm driving you home. Tomorrow, obviously." Lup tucked a curl behind her ear before gesturing at the near-empty bottle. "You can crash on my couch." She looked at him for a moment before her face split into a beaming smile, bright enough to dim the stars outside.
"You're fucking ridiculous, bear."

He couldn't do anything but smile back.
It was true, after all.

Chapter Text

Lup's place was just as Barry imagined it would be.
Not that he spent much time thinking about it, but if he had, he'd say the apartment suited her perfectly.
Nearly all surfaces were covered.
Be it thrifted paintings, photos, used bus tickets, plants, carpets and throws or otherwise.
It was messy in a way that seemed almost intentional, though without it looking performative. Organized would be a better descriptor, maybe.

The man didn't spend too much time looking around, out of politeness but mostly because Lup followed him into the room,
and how was he supposed to look anywhere but at her?

He smiled when their eyes met, and the grin he got in return was nothing less than breathtaking. Easy as day as if smiling at Barold was Lup's favorite activity. It might've been, he hadn't asked. There was so much he'd yet to ask.

She took his hand in hers and pulled him along to a couch he'd missed during his initial scan of the room. Mostly because it had so many pillows on it that the shape beneath them was nearly indistinguishable.
So was Lup when she dropped herself into them. Swallowed up by a bunch of pillows, what a way to go.

He repeated this as he pulled back one to make sure he wouldn't sit on her leg before dropping down next to her.
Lup kicked him in the thigh, squirming around until she managed to make herself comfortable with her feet up in Barry's lap and her upper body propped up against the arm of the couch. "Not gonna lie, bear, that sounds like a very you way to die." She waved her hand around as if trying to pluck her next words out of the air.
"Like you would , you feel? I can't explain it. Either death by pillows or dead by rats- hats. Same thing. Pick your poison, handsome."

"Neither, if I can help it." He spluttered at the pillow that hit his side. "Death by Lup, more like. I'm going to be bruised tomorrow."
Lup's ears pinned back as she reached out and pressed her palm to the spot she'd just hit, running her thumb over it in soothing motions. "Shit, sorry, forget how fragile you guys are sometimes."
She didn't say it like it was a bad thing. Just stated a fact. Humans tended to bruise a lot more easily than elves did.
Barry waved away her concern, covering her hand with his own and squeezing it softly.

They sat in silence for a moment. Peaceful and quiet, the only sound being the occasional car passing by outside, and the chirruping of birds-which told them they really should've been in bed by now.
Barry desperately tried to think of something to say, to keep from having to give in to the heaviness of his eyes.

"Tell me about your family." She asked then, his saving grace, turning her hand where his was still resting on it and lacing their fingers together, dropping their linked hands onto Barry's thigh.

Barry let his head fall back against the wall behind him, warm brown eyes fixed on the ceiling as he spoke, gruff voice soft and quiet- as this story was for Lup and Lup only.
He'd mentioned his mother before in passing, but even those messages filled with praise and adoration couldn't compare to the love that seemed to coat his every word as he spoke of Marlena Hallwinter. Her brilliance and strength. How she'd raised her son to love and be appreciative of the world around him. He laughed as he told Lup of the men who had tried to pursue her after his father's passing. How they'd go out of their way to be noticed by her.

He recalled the one time he'd come home from school to find a cow in their living room, curled up in front of the smoldering hearth- as much as a cow could curl up, anyway.
She had found it by the road with a hurt leg, and their small village was hours away from the nearest vet. Especially those that would accept house calls at seven in the evening.
'Darling, how was school! Do you mind making dinner for three, today? I'm sure our guest wouldn't say no to a good meal.'

"Never really,, connected with my dad that way." He shrugged, pushing a grey-streaked strand out of his eyes and softly tapping a finger against his denim-clad thigh. "Not that we fought or anythin', he just.. didn't get it, I think. Never got to either, passed when I was seven."
Gregor Hallwinter had tried his best, and Barry fully believed that. But smiles had always been strained and praise forced. Barry trusted that his father had given everything he could.

"Are they yours?" He asked, eyes dropping down to a series of photos and paintings on the other side of the room.
The biggest one that hung in the middle showed a beach scene with six people in it. All facing the onlooker with ear-to-ear smiles. Lup with her cheek squished up against her brother's. A big burly man behind them, holding both hands up in peace signs. Next to the twins stood a young human woman, elegant and beautiful. In the front was a dwarf with a joyful grin, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of the gnome standing beside him.
They all looked so happy.

The other paintings included Taako and Angus. Taako and Kravitz. The burly man on his wedding day, carried by a curly-haired human woman. Different combinations of these people.

"Yup."
She pushed herself up, turning to sit next to him properly. "My people. Was just Taako and I for a long time. And then the doofus squad barged into our lives. Kicked down the door and then hammered it shut behind them." Her smile is small and though Barry can't see it from this angle, he can hear it in her voice. "Not that we'd ever want them to go, anyhow."
Lup pressed her tongue to her front teeth, the tip of it just poking out from the gap between them. "Removed the nails, though. Y'know. To leave it open for other people."

They talk for three more hours. About anything. About everything. They send each other into fits of laughter Barry hasn't had since.. ever, probably.
They play board games but get distracted by each other's college stories.
They turn on a movie at one point, but Barry's tale of the pigeon he once accidentally resurrected is so much more interesting than whatever that dumb clown is doing with the origami boat.
Lup decides she's hungry but rather than stay behind, Barry leans up against the kitchen counter and watches her work.
The two of them end up finishing most of the dough before she can even pop the brownies into the oven. Lactose-free. Of course. He didn't even have to ask.

Lup is delighted when she finds out about Barold's Necromancy book collection and pulls him along to her bedroom- which really is more of a cozy-looking closet. She shows him the collection she's accumulated over the years and promises him that he's fine to borrow anything he likes as long as he promises to get it back to her.

And then they're in Lup's bedroom. Which has just enough floor space that they're not actively elbowing each other in the face, but they're still close.
And Lup's got a smudge of brownie mix on her chin.
And her expression is soft and her focus solely on him.

"Uh-" He started, right as the oven alarm went off.
She frowned, glancing at the door separating the two of them from the kitchen and then returning those big, gold-flecked eyes to Barry.
"How'd you like your brownies, bear?" She asked, casually as anything.
"Not- I mean,, 's long as they're not bricks I'm pretty happy to eat 'em however? Like these chompers, though. Would love to keep these teeth for as long as I can. I'm not wastin' those Invisalign years."

The blonde snorted a laugh and nodded, ears flicking up. "Right- uh-huh. Let's get them out, then. C'mon, no time to waste!"

The clock on the oven read that it was nearing five, the sky outside slowly but surely filling with blue and purple tones. "Let them- you'll burn yourself, babe." Lup's laughter rang through the house as she swatted at Barry's hand. "Give them five minutes."
The human stifled a yawn, pushing his glasses up into his hair to rub at the spot beneath his eye. "I'm uh,, not sure if I'll make the next five minutes, Lup." He admitted, yawning a second time.

Lup had been busy poking skewers into the muffins and grimaced understandingly. "Oh shit, yeah. C'mon- They can be breakfast muffins." She closed the oven door and got to her feet, rolling back her shoulders to relieve some of the ache in them.
"There's a spare toothbrush in the bathroom, go and get those nice chompers clean and I'll set up your bed."
She pointed him to the room in question, lingering at the door to make sure he found the toothbrush before going to get everything ready.

The couch had been pulled out into a small twin when Barry returned- face freshly washed and teeth freshly brushed.
"Couldn't find pants that would fit ya, but I've got you a sleep shirt, at least. Oh! And a towel. Shower tends to act up a bit, but just give it a smack and call it some names and that usually works. Anythinggg elseee?" She looked around, pulling the curtains shut. "Think that's it."

Lup cackled at the way he fell into the bed, rolling her eyes.
A delicate hand passed through his hair, followed by the sound of soft footsteps and a creaky door.

"Night, Barry."

He was already asleep by the time the door clicked into the frame.

Chapter Text

Keeping to her promise, Lup drove Barry home the following morning- the two-hour-long drive filled with quiet laughter and easy conversation.

She came in for a cup of coffee to reenergize herself before heading back. And one cup turned into two, turned into three, turned into popping into a corner shop for a bottle of alcohol-free wine and to get the ingredients to 'A Truly Baller Curry'.

She marveled at her commission, now fully finished with the addition of the hat from the workshop, and spent about fifteen minutes going around giving every rodent in Barold's Jarmy a name and title, which the human noted down dutifully, a smile on his face the entire time and his cheeks flushed.

They ate the curry squished together on his couch, Barry practically in Lup's lap as he silently enjoyed what was quite possibly the best food he'd ever had.

They washed up together, though Barry insisted Lup had already done plenty that day. She just ran a hand through his hair in response and hopped onto the counter, kicking her legs as she spoke of her hatred of spoons and her love for escargot forks, occasionally running a towel over the items that would take up too much space in the drying rack.

Both of them winced when her alarm went off,- which Lup had set to make sure she would get home in time to get some rest before work that next day.

But it was already late, and honestly, how could Barry do anything other than insist he come with?
Just to make sure she got home okay, and to switch if she ended up feeling too tired to drive.
Lup didn't hesitate for a second before agreeing that yeah, it really would be best for him to stay with her. Who knew what could happen at 10 PM on a Wednesday?

'What do you mean you don't think you'd like Cats 2019?!' Led to a late-night movie watched on Lup's broken phone screen in her bed.
With the elf curled up against Barry's chest and him holding the device up for both of them to see.
Though, in all honesty, watching Lup's face scrunch up with giddiness and feeling her toss her head back with laughter every time Rebel Wilson shed her skin was so much more entertaining than the movie could have ever been.

Any movie, but Cats 2019 in particular.
Shitshow.

She rolled over to face him after, and studied his face in the darkness that had now fallen over the room, delicate fingers following the neckline of his shirt over and over again.
Her head resting on his bicep and dried drool at the corner of her mouth from when she'd closed her eyes for 'just fifteen minutes' somewhere near the end of the movie.

When she kissed him, it was brief and with confidence.

"I'm making fried cauliflower."
Barry made a noise of acknowledgment, too busy sporting an ear-to-ear grin to really get into this incredibly insightful piece of information.
"For Candlenights. Ko usually does most of the cooking, drama queen can't handle other people nosing around his kitchen, but he said he'd allow me a starter, this time 'round. Anyway. You should come. Bring your mom if she's down to hang. Bring yourself if you're down to bang. Joking! joking." Her hands flew up in defense, and she made a so-so gesture after a moment of consideration. Wouldn't want to give the wrong idea.

The human shifted. A singular brow popping up from behind his glasses as he considered the invitation.
As if he hadn't instantly decided he'd move heaven and earth for a chance to spend another day with Lup. As if her joking suggestion didn't have his ears burning
"I'll ask." He agreed, laughing as he pushed away her hands. "Sleep, Lup."

He wrapped his arm around her when she curled up into his chest, legs tangled together and her arm slung loosely over his side. "But you haven't told me about your pet stick insect, yet." She groaned half-heartedly, voice muffled by the layers of fabric it had to travel through.
A long ear twitched at the hand that passed through her hair.
"We have all the time in the world." He promised quietly. "Or at least one or two dates, depending. We'll see." He smiled at the feeling of her laughter.

"Fuck- shit- Lup Taaco move your ass out of the way, hot shit coming through!"
"That's what that smell is!" Lup dodged her brother expertly and slammed her palm against Magnus' in a high-five that seemed to make the windows rattle.
"Lup,-" Came Kravitz' pleading voice from the other side of the room, balancing multiple dishes as he tried to make his way across to the table. "On it." She took four of the plates Taako had loaded onto his arms- seemingly forgetting that his boyfriend was, in fact, not a trained waiter.

She glanced over at the clock as together they filled the table with Taako's weeks worth of work.
He said he'd be there.
Then again she had kind of laid a smooch on the dude and then insinuated sex immediately after. He'd kissed back! And she vividly remembered him giggling at her joke,- but maybe shit had changed for him over the last three days.
Even though they'd been texting constantly since. And even though he'd asked to take her out for dinner before leaving on Thursday, kissing her cheek when she agreed. Nerd.

"Someone tell me why the fuck there never are enough chairs in this house? Who the fuck thought it'd be a good idea to just have six dining chairs?"

"Taako, darling- that's already three more than the number of people living here-" Kravitz tried, following behind his husband as Taako went on a search of the house to grab any chair-like object he could find. Sturdy nightstand? Fucking perfect. A pile of pillows? Fantastic.

"I've got it!" Lup was at the door the second the doorbell rang.

"Hi." Said a flower-holding Barry Bluejeans, glasses sat crooked on his face and the collar of his shirt half hidden underneath his hideous candlenights jumper.

"Hi." Said a breathless Lup Taaco, as a smile began to spread on her face- her cheeks matching the deep red of the dress she was wearing.

"You must be Lup." Said a kind-looking elderly lady, dressed in a black jumpsuit with her gray hair twisted up in a loose bun. "Sildar told me not to bring any food, but I couldn't resist." Marlena's smile was the split image of her son's as she handed Lup a foil-covered baking dish. "It's desert. Nothing fancy."

"No that's- thanks, Ma'am. That's great. Barold I can't believe you've kept Marlena from me for so long!" Lup hooked an arm through Marlena's and shot her a wink.
"Lup we literally met last week-"
"C'mon! you guys are getting the tour. We'll avoid the kitchen for as long as we can. You do not want to be gettin' in Ko's way, believe me."

It was only after introductions, and once Marlena had gotten swept up in a conversation with a very sugared-up Angus that Lup and Bary had a second to themselves.
"Nice flowers." She leaned her shoulder against the doorway, arms crossed loosely in front of her body.
He looked down at the bouquet he was still holding. "Looked better about three hours ago." He admitted with a grimace. "Or maybe it's just you. Pale in comparison,, all that? What is it that Shakespeare said? 'A rose by any other name would still eat dust next to Lup Taaco?'"

Lup snorted, brushing a strand of hair out of his face. "I like your mom."
Barry nodded. "She's great. You give Taako his present yet?"
"Nah, figured the maestro would want to be there. Speaking of- Glad you came."
She could melt at the sight of that smile.
She wouldn't though, because she still had a night of entertaining guests ahead of her. The melting would have to wait a few hours.

She turned her head at shouting coming from the living room and offered her hand to Barry. "Sounds like it's time for dinner."

Candlenights at the Taaco household was always good. Good food, good company, good conversation.
This year it was even better.

Maybe it was the way Taako snorted up wine onto his white tablecloth as he opened his present.
Or watching Angus and Marlena exchange theories on the latest Poirot episode they'd watched.
Barry nearly breaking his wrist while arm wrestling with Magnus.

Maybe it was the way their eyes kept meeting from across the room. The soft smiles that were exchanged. The unspoken promise of 'later'.

After all. This was the first Candlenights of many, and the two of them had all the time in the world.