Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A tall, dark-haired man could be seen walking towards the gates of Splash Elementary/Primary School, with a briefcase in one hand and a phone in the other.
“Yes, yes I know Gwen. Just give me a minute to pick up Scoots.”
“This is the THIRD time this month he’s sprained his ankle or fallen over or whatever Samuel! Honestly, I’m beginning to feel sorry for you,” A beautiful woman’s voice said over the phone.
“Wow, thanks for your sympathy Gwens. It’s appreciated,” The man - Samuel Seek - replied, sarcasm lacing his voice. “Anyways, I’ve gotta go now. I’m almost at the school's front desk”
“Alright. Just get back here quickly, or I’ll cut the time you’re absent off your paycheck,” Gwen teased.
“Yeah yeah, whatever” Samuel replied. And that was the end of the conversation.

_____________________

“Scoot, your Dad’s here for you honey,” the elderly school receptionist barely had time to speak those words before a bundle of energy in the form of Scooter Seek was hobbling towards the school exit.
“Dad!” The boy shouted happily.
“Hey, Screechers!” Samuel scooped up the wild child in his arms, chuckling at his seemingly never-ending energy. “So, what did you do for them to call me up to the front desk this time, huh?” He asked, signing the paperwork to give ‘Screechers’ or ‘Screech’, as he had nicknamed his son, sick leave for the day.
“I bwoke my ankle,” Screech admitted, as they got in the car, earning a moment of shocked silence from his poor father before he realised what his son meant.
“You mean you sprained it, right?” He chuckled.
“Same thin’!” Screech exclaimed, once again showing his father that he had earned the nickname his dad had bestowed upon him.
“No…” Samuel chuckled, “No it is not. Now please buckle your seatbelt Screech, unless you want to go flying out the window while we’re driving,”
“No I don’t wanna!” The boy shouted, hurrying to buckle his seatbelt.
‘Works every time’ The man thought, driving towards their destination before Little Miss Gwen Lights could beat his behind for ‘Skipping work again!’

_____________________

The Seeks’ car pulled up in front of a large building with the sign DOORS HOTEL AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE: A PLACE TO STAY OR JUST HAVE FUN FOR A DAY
“Now listen Screechers” Samuel said, opening the door to let out his rowdy son. “I have to stay at work, so I’m gonna leave you with Mr Felix in the Library okay? Remember to stay quiet and respectful”
“B-but Daaaaaaaaaaad!” The child groaned. “Mr Felix is weirdddddddd and I don’t like being quietttttt!” Samuel suddenly stiffened upon hearing someone insult his friend, yes it was a child, his child at that, but that didn’t change the fact that he was very protective of his friends.
“Scooter,” The black-haired child turned around, surprised by the lack of nickname.
“Yeah..dad?”
“How many times have I told you we don’t speak about people like that? Especially Mr Felix”
“Sorry…” The child muttered, before smiling again and attempting to do something between the lines of limping and running into the Hotel, which his dad just so happened to be the Manager of.

_____________________

“Finally, there you are!” Gwen Light, Co-Owner of Doors Hotel, a beautiful woman with fair skin and long blonde hair that hung loosely around her waist ran up to the father and son duo. “Hey there Scoots” She smiled at the young boy, who returned her smile with his signature grin.
“Hey Miss Light!”
The woman smiled, ruffled his black, messy hair and not-so-discretely handed Screech a sweet. “Thanks Miss!” He said, before stuffing it in his mouth.
“Hello Gwen” Samuel said, tiredness lacing his voice. “I’m just gonna drop him off with Felix and then I’ll get over to whatever it is that makes you need me so urgently”
“Alright, because it seems that our ‘Twins of Terror’ have knocked over multiple fragile items again…”
“And lemme guess… you want me to go see what they broke, deduct it from their paycheck or give them a warning or something then place an order to replace it”
“You know me so well…” Gwen chuckled, patting his shoulder and leaving to do whatever it was that needed to be done.

_____________________

Felix Gardens was simply strolling around the library, one hand on the barrier attached to the entire Hotel's walls for guidance. His fluffy ginger hair swayed with the wind coming in from the open library window, earning a slightly relaxed smile from the young man. He adjusted the bandages over his eyes. Oh, yes I should have mentioned. The man was blind. Completely blind. Why he chose to use bandages instead of glasses was beyond anyone, but when asked he had simply explained it as being “a style choice” and that’s where the subject still lies.

Suddenly, there was a slight creak as the library doors opened.
“Who’s there?” Felix asked in a low voice, facing towards the direction of the noise. His hearing had become much stronger than average to adapt to blindness.
“It’s just me,” said a voice which he identified instantly as Samuel.
“And me!!!” Felix winced slightly at the noise, most likely coming from Scoots whose tiny, quick footsteps could already be heard running around the library.
“Hello there Samuel, nice to see you” Felix towered over the man at an outstanding height of 6’5, which made Samuel’s 6’2 seem like nothing.
“Hi Figs” The shorter man hugged Felix, who smiled at the gesture and nickname. Honestly, Samuel just had a thing for giving random and not-so-random nicknames. Everyone was used to it by now.
“Well, since you brought little Screech here, I’m guessing you want me to watch him?”
“Yep! Thanks a lot, Figs!” And with that, Seek ran out of the library to find the ‘Twins of Terror’ better known as Ray and Ami Rusher

_____________________

“YOU BROKE IT!”
“NO! IT WAS YOU”
“WELL IT’S NOT MY FAULT SOMEONE PUSHED ME INTO THE VASE!”
“I SWEAR, MR SEEK IS GONNA BEAT OUR ####ES BECAUSE OF YOU!”

Samuel coughed lightly.
“You were saying” An eyebrow raise accompanied the sentence.
“Oh uh… Heyyyy there Mr Seek, Sir! Nice to see ya” A young man of about 23 years of age, with black hair covered in thick grey streaks and a pair of ever-present sunglasses perched on top of his head was elbowed by his twin sister.
“Before you say anything Sir” The slender girl with shoulder-length black hair containing green streaks similar in placement to her twin brother’s began. “I just want to say it was RAY’S FAULT the vase was broken”
“WHADDYA MEAN MY FAULT!?”
And they started shouting again. Samuel pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. “Ugh, I swear those two are about to give me a stress migraine…” He thought.
“WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!?” He shouted before even realising he’d opened his mouth. The twins immediately stopped, looking at Samuel with shock, faces red from embarrassment and screaming at each other. There was a long moment of very awkward silence before Ami spoke up.
“Hey..um, sorry Mr Seek, Sir” She half-whispered, her embarrassment very clear.
“I-it’s fine just clean it up” Samuel sighed, before leaving quickly to cool off.

A few minutes later, he was sitting in the Hotel’s courtyard, hoping that maybe the fresh air would help him out a little. It was a rather lovely afternoon; the sun was out and only a few clouds in the sky. He thought, that if he listened closely maybe he could hear birds chirping in the distance. Needless to say, it was a nice change from what just happened a minute ago. Samuel felt ashamed of himself, to say the least, but then again it’s not his fault those two can be so annoying at times. He took a deep breath, deciding to stay out here a little longer.

_____________________

Screech sat in a corner, a lollipop that the librarian had given him rested in his mouth, as he struggled to read a page from the children’s book in his hands.
“Mr Feliiixx… this is sooo hard!” He whined. Poor Felix, the noise abusing his ears, was left to wince, sigh, and say once again.
“Why don’t we find you an easier book then?” This was the fourth time it had happened, and Felix refused to just hand a picture book to the child to get some peace and quiet. The child could barely read at six years old! And because of that, Felix was going to make it his responsibility to perhaps make the child a bit more enthusiastic about reading.
He moved his fingers over the braille on the spines of many children's books, until coming across one that was slightly easier, but not too easy. He handed the book to an impatient little Scooter, who was quite literally vibrating in place. Not that the librarian could see that of course.
“Here you go dear,” He gave a tired smile, hoping maybe this time the book might capture Screech’s interest. The child stared at the book for a bit, before walking back to his earlier seat.
“‘Aight! Thanks, Mwr Fwelix” He said, the lollipop in his mouth muffling his speech.
The man simply smiled, nodded and walked back to his desk.
“And to think that Samuel has to deal with this little bundle of energy every day,” He thought. “Simply amazing…”

_____________________

Samuel walked into the library to find Scooter sitting in the corner with a book in his lap and a discarded lollipop stick next to him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so… quiet. It’s a miracle…” he thought.
“Hey Screechers, time to go,”
“Alright!” The young boy responded, just loud enough to wake up Felix, who had fallen asleep at his desk.
“Wha-...?” The librarian lifted his head off the desk.
Samuel chuckled, “You fell asleep Figs.”
“Oh…” Felix smiled sheepishly, blushing a bit from embarrassment at being caught off-guard. “Thanks, Sam. I assume you’re here to pick up Scoot?”
“Yep. Thanks for watching him”
“Anytime, I quite enjoy a little bit of action in the library sometimes,” The man smiled.
Samuel smiled back, forgetting his friend wouldn’t see it, then cursed himself for that before saying “I’m sure Screech enjoys coming here as well. You’re a big help you know that. You’ve saved my ### so many times”
“Good to know, but mind your language” Both men chuckled at the remark before Samuel took Scooter's hand and led him out of the library.

Chapter Text

Haley Round, a tall, tanned woman of 26 years, walked (or maybe half-ran would be more accurate) down the hallway, inwardly cursing Ray Rusher. “How many more times will I have to tell him, DON’T. FIDDLE. WITH. THE. LIGHTS!” she shouted at nobody. Twirling her cyan hair, she opened the door leading to the room that served both as the electrical and storage, which she and the other Hotel workers had dubbed ‘Room 100’ because it was the final room in the entire Hotel. Haley opened the power box to inspect the damage. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Honestly, if it had been worse, she doubted Ray would have actually owned up to it. Flashback: “U-uh…hey Hales” The Hotel’s bell boy approached Haley, he was clearly nervous. He’d probably messed something up. “Yeah, Ray? I swear, if you want me to bail you out of trouble because you ####ed up with Samuel again then you can buzz off, or I will grab your ear and drag you ther-” “No! It’s not that” “Then what…?” She raised an eyebrow at him. Ray stood there for a moment, probably contemplating whether this was a good idea and if he would be safer if he turned around and ran out the room. “Comn, spit it out” The woman urged. “Well, you see… I may have accidentally ripped some random wire while..uh tryin’ to turn on the courtyard lamps- BYE” And with that, he ran out of the room. Haley sighed. The 5th time. This was the 5TH time something like this had happened. Maybe she just needed to put a lock on the power box. Yeah, she’d talk to Gwen and Claire Lights about that later. End of flashback She fiddled with the wires for a bit, before stepping back. Everything seemed fine. “Well that was easy” Haley said to herself. She looked down at her callused hands, pausing for a bit. She’d worked here for 10 years, Claire and Gwen had ‘taken her in’ at 16, when she had run away from home, hoping for a better future. They’d given her a job. “I don’t think they realised how much that had helped me back then” She whispered down at her hands, smiling to herself. Suddenly she was interrupted by a quiet beeping, coming from her pocket. It was was Ray. 'Sorry abt the wires hales' The text read. She chuckled before typing back a quick ‘It’s fine’ and leaving Room 100.

                                                                            _____________________

Ray Rusher put away his phone, letting out a breathe he had no idea he was holding. She wasn’t going to kill him in his sleep. Okay…maybe that was an exaggeration, but still Haley was kinda scary. The taller woman had a sort of important aura around her. Not as much as Gwen, Claire or Samuel, but still enough to make you feel bad if you messed up. He ran down the hallway to tell his sister, who upon hearing his panic had only laughed, that he was indeed still alive and to beg her for a bit of her lunch. He had forgotten his again. Although that was hardly surprising, the man had been forgetting his lunch at home ever since he was in primary/elementary school. Suddenly, he felt something knock against his leg, and an annoyed “Hey!” came from the direction of the floor. “Oh! Sorry ‘bout that Scoots, didn’t see ya there” He grinned at Scooter Seek, who still couldn’t go to school because of the ankle he’d somehow sprained yesterday. Well that and Samuel refused to let him go. Or hire a babysitter. So here the child was, sitting on the carpeted floor of the Hotel, looking up at Ray and trying to seem serious (and failing so much it was adorable). “Well watch where you’re goin’!” He pointed a finger up at Ray, who couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright alright…” He said, before grabbing an unsuspecting Scooter and spinning his wildly in circles multiple times. That cheered the child up spectacularly, leaving him giggling on the floor when Ray set him down again. “That was fun! I forgive you now.” “Good to know kid” Was Ray’s response. All of a sudden, a beautiful woman with shoulder-length black hair with a single streak of light brown hidden in the fluffy bangs that partially covered her deep brown eyes could be seen heading towards the duo. Her Hotel uniform swished loudly as she ran across the corridor. That was Samuel Seek’s sister: Hilda Shade. “There… you *huff*... are” She managed to say. After she regained her composure, Hilda gave Scooter a look that screamed: ‘Why the hell would you do that’ before turning to Ray. “This little monster ran off. How he managed to do that with a sprained ankle is way beyond me, but thanks for distracting him” She said. Scooter turned to Ray with eyes full of betrayal, as if it was him who had brought Hilda here. He wondered why the child was so desperate to get away. “Come Scooter, let’s go,” The woman said, before grabbing his hand, and Ray could see her wince slightly at how sweaty it was. “NOOOO- YOU’RE GONNA MAKE ME DO MY HOMEWORK!” Oh- that explains it. Samuel probably told Hilda to make the little bundle of energy do some work so he didn’t fall behind. He chuckled. “I’ll pray for you Screech!” He half-shouted, laughing. As he walked away he never saw the look of absolute shock at this betrayal that appeared on the child’s face.

                                                                                _____________________

Felix Gardens was carefully sipping his tea, slowly lifting the mug to his lips as not to accidentally miss and burn himself. Unfortunately, the peace and quiet of the Hotel library was interrupted, as a loud yell echoed through the library startling Felix. “AH-” The man yelped as the contents of his mug, which he had dropped, spilled all over his lap, burning his legs. “Sooo sorry Felix! Let me help clean up” The quiet, anxious voice of Hilda Seek could be heard, and suddenly a hankercheif was being pressed into his hand. “It’s not much but at least you can clean up a little” She said. The man gave a small smile and thanked her. He doubted she had been the one to cause the noise, but it was nice of Hilda to help him like that. Jack really had gotten lucky. “It’s very nice of you to help Hilda” He said, using the gifted handkerchief to wipe at the wet spot on his trousers. “If you don’t mind me asking, what caused that noise?” “Ah well…” Hilda hesitated, this was going to be rather embarrassing “You know Samuel’s son right?” “Yes indeed. Scooter, he really is a bundle of energy. I figure it was him who yelled like that” “Yep, you see, I’ve been given babysitting duty. And well… that was Scooter running away like a maniac because he didn’t want to do lessons” She chuckled, knowing it sounded quite stupid, but much the woman’s surprise the librarian simply chuckled. “Oh, of course. Why am I not surprised. If you think about it, your and Samuel’s children are basically opposites” “Oh…” She took a moment to think about it. Yes. Her daughter Sally was a rather quiet child, adventurous and energetic at times of course, but apart from that she was rather quiet. While her brother’s child could be described as a slightly demonic, over-caffeinated bouncy ball. “You’re quite right” Hilda chuckled, placing the mug that had been knocked over earlier back onto the librarian’s desk. Felix smiled again, and was about to say something when he was interrupted by the library door creaking open. “Who is it?” He asked. “I’m just returning some lost property” A woman’s voice replied. Haley. “Oh thank you Haley. From the frustrated sounds coming from this ‘property’ I assume it’s Scooter?” “Yep” Haley chuckled, and Hilda could also be heard laughing quietly in the background. “If I may ask, what’s so funny?” “Well you see…” Hilda began, “Scooter is currently hanging over Haleys shoulder like a ack of potatoes” She began laughing again, and Felix joined in, an image of the scene already forming in his head. “PUT ME DOWNNN!” Came a loud cry. Scooter. “Yeah yeah kiddo” Haley popped him back down on the ground, where he was left to scowl as the three adults around him laughed at his cruel…cruel fate.

Chapter Text

Hilda Shade left the building that was Doors Hotel and Entertainment Centre, closing the large double doors behind her, only to realise that it was raining heavily.

“Can you not trust the weather forecast in this town…?!” She whisper-shouted to herself.

When she had checked the weather that morning, it had been boasting a day full of sunshine and light breezes. Liars. Then again, what was she to expect it was the middle of November after all. The rain soaked through the deep-red fabric of her uniform, making Hilda shiver as the cold water touched her skin. Everyone else outside was holding an umbrella.

“Dammit… should have figured everyone else would be prepared. Now I look like an idiot” Her cheeks were tinted slightly red, both from embarrassment and the cold wind of the parking lot. Hilda started walking a little faster, numb fingers fumbling in her purse, trying to find the car keys that always managed to disappear when needed most. Finally, her fingers came in contact with the cold metal of her car keys. Hilda took them out of the purse as she approached the grey Ford that was her car. The car unlocked, and she climbed inside (actually, she tripped on her way in and dived head-first into the seat, but we don’t talk about that). Hilda turned the ignition key and drove out of the parking lot.

“I’m so glad Jack is picking up Sally today” She muttered, checking the time - 5 pm. Yep. If her husband hadn’t been the one to pick up their daughter today, the poor child would’ve been waiting 2 whole hours for her mum to get her. She drove through the town, eventually taking a left into Closet Lane, where the Shade family home resided. A fairly small, 2-bedroom house. It was all they needed after all. Sliding the key into the lock, she pushed open the white door of house No.28 only to find herself engulfed in darkness.

“Jack?” Hilda looked around, concern creeping up the back of her neck. “Sally…honey?” No answer. She was about to take out her phone and call Jack when she was startled by a loud shout.

“WELCOME! WELCOME!” The voice she recognised as her husband’s said. Suddenly the lights turned on, and Jack was standing on what looked like a… makeshift stage? There was a large, dark red curtain behind him and a crude-looking sign that said ‘JAK + SALLY’S MAGIC SHOW!’. Despite the initial shock, Hilda chuckled at the spelling of the sign.

This was clearly her daughter’s work.

Jack, a tall, thin man with sharp, pale features, glossy black hair, and a wide, teasing smile was standing on the makeshift stage, dressed in the clothes he only used while performing to an audience. Yep. Hilda had married a magician. And she was 99% sure she was about to regret it. Jack continued his speech.

“Welcome…to Jack and Sally’s magic show!” He announced, earning a round of applause from his amused wife.

“I’d like to introduce… Sally the Spectacular!” Sally twirled onto the stage from behind the red curtain as he spoke the words. She was wearing a pink tutu, paired with a sequin-covered shirt. Her long black hair was tied up in 2 horribly made ponytails, which was probably Jack’s doing. The little girl spun around a bit more, before stopping and giving the ‘audience’ a dizzy bow. Hilda clapped more enthusiastically than ever before, trying not to laugh.

“Hello! Hello! I will now show you a magic trick with the help of my assi-a-...helper person!” Her daughter announced. Doing yet another twirl. Jack walked over to Sally holding a blanket.

“I will now make Sally the Spectacular DISAPPEAR!” He held the blanket in front of his daughter so it covered her and with a dramatic flourish, whipped away the blanket. Sally was gone.

“Bravo! Bravo!” Hilda was shouting, clapping and laughing simultaneously, but she stopped when Jack pulled back the curtains, to show that her daughter wasn’t hiding there. She had indeed disappeared.

“Jack…WHERE IS MY CHILD!?” She looked thoroughly behind the curtains. Nope. This was concerning.

“Well…about that-” “Hello!” Sally jumped out from behind the couch, into her mother’s arm. “But how did you-...”

“The art of misdirection my dear!” Jack laughed, “While you were busy laughing your head off, our fantastic daughter ran and hid behind the couch”

Hilda was in shock. She was either about to murder her husband or kiss him. Jack decided for her. Pulling his wife into a kiss, only to hear a tiny voice behind them go.

“Ah!! Mama, Papa! ONLY PEOPLE IN MOVIES DO THAT!” Sally exclaimed, she looked like she’d just seen a ghost, not her parents kissing.

“Well, that’s not true honey” Hilda explained. The shock on her daughter's face was still there, but she looked a little less offended. Behind her, Jack let out a laugh, falling face-first onto the floor. His wife and daughter stared at him a little concerned, before both decided to join him, falling into a laughing pile on the floor.

                                                                                         _____________________

The next morning…

The alarm screeched loudly, breaking Hilda out of her peaceful sleep.

“Ugh… Why does the universe hate me…?” She switched off the alarm, grumbling under her breath. Turning to look beside her, she realised her husband was already up. Another work day… Hilda grabbed her Hotel cleaner’s uniform and put it on, adjusting it so that the fabric sat comfortably on her small form.

“Only 2 more days then it’s the weekend. At least I have Saturdays and Sundays off” She told herself. After going to the bathroom to freshen up, Hilda went downstairs still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Morning dearest!” Jack’s voice could be heard, accompanied by the enticing smell of pancakes. “Mornin’” Hilda responded. She approached the kitchen table, where Sally was already dressed and munching happily on a pancake. “Hey Mama!” She said, the words coming out slightly muffled through the mouthful of pancake.

“Hey there honey” Hilda said, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

After breakfast… (I’m too lazy forgive me *sob*)

“Ready to go?” Hilda asked as Sally slipped on her shoes.

“Yeah!” The little girl jumped up, an adorable smile on her face. Only to suddenly be lifted in a fit of giggles by her father. “Actually… the little gremlin is mine for today!” Jack laughed, spinning Sally around, “Because if you don’t leave soon, you’ll be late hun”

Hilda looked down at her watch. Oh, my light. Jack was right. It was 7:50 and she was supposed to be at the Hotel at 8:00.

“Oh my light! Thanks so much honey.” She kissed Jack on the cheek, ruffled Sally’s hair and ran out of the house, hoping to avoid a very awkward conversation with her brother about the importance of punctuality.

                                                                                            _____________________

Samuel glared at his watch. It’s not like the watch had done anything wrong, but it showed him that his sister was late. Perfect. Of course, she had to be late when an incident in the cafeteria needed cleaning up. He looked behind him, where two trays were sitting on the floor, their contents spilt all over the white cafeteria tiles.

“I swear to Light, if Hilda doesn’t get here within 5 minutes I’m going to-” He cut himself off, sighing. Suddenly, he heard the creak that signified the opening of the Hotel doors, and looked up. His sister was here.

“Sorry I’m late Sam…” She mumbled, “I had to drive Sally to school”. Lies. Oh well, her brother didn’t know that.

“Alright. But can you please go to the cafeteria?! There was an incident that needs to be cleaned up”

“Okay” And with that she was gone.

“This better not bring our 5-star rating down” He mumbled “Or Gwen will murder me”

                                                                                           _____________________

After the mess was cleaned up, the Hotel resumed its usual state of calm and Samuel’s blood pressure returned to normal, much to the relief of all employees. Claire Lights, a bright, bubbly woman with blonde, shoulder-length hair dressed in a white collared shirt and yellow trousers, walked down the hallway. She had a smile on her face, which wasn’t unusual for the woman. As she walked, Claire greeted the employees, sometimes engaging in small talk. It was nice… She often found herself very grateful for the fact that her twin sister Gwen had chosen to play the part of a slightly stricter owner. It meant she could be the little ray of sunshine for people leaving the harder duties like punishments and warnings to her sister. It’s not that Gwen was a completely feelingless person. No! Her sister was still as sensitive and kind as Claire herself, she was just more responsible. She’d never say that to Claire’s face but both knew it was true. As she was walking she passed a very frustrated-looking Samuel, she was about to say ‘hi’, but he paused, goes pale and yells:

“####! I FORGOT SCOOTER AT HOME!” And breaks into a sprint, knocking over an annoyed Ami Rusher in the process.               

_____________________

“HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID!?” Samuel shouted at himself, ignoring the perplexed looks that both employees and visitors were giving him. Yep. Somehow that morning, Samuel had managed to leave Scooter at home, with a still-recovering ankle no less. All he could do was hope that the child hadn’t somehow injured himself more by trying to run around at home. Could NOTHING ever go right for him?!

The minute Samuel was inside his house, he called out to his son.

“SCOOTER! SCREECH?!”

“Dad!” The child limp-ran up to him “Why’d you leave me!!?” Scooter looked more annoyed than anything. He stared up at his dad with a judging look.

“I’m so sorry Screechers I completely forgot. I was just so busy!” Samuel explained. He was on the verge of panic.

‘I’mahorriblefatherI’mahorriblefatherI’mahorriblefatherI’mahorriblefatherI’mahorriblefatherI’mahorriblefather…WhydidItrytoraisehimbymyself…I’mahorriblefatherI’mahorriblefatherI’mahorriblefather’

His thoughts screamed at him, but they were interrupted by a small form rapping itself around his leg. “It’s okay dad” Scooter has hugging his dad’s leg “I forgive you. But maybe not next time”

Samuel chuckled. He loved this child so much…

He wished the child had a sibling… at least one that they knew existed.

He didn’t regret his divorce…no a conflicted household would have only worsened Scooter’s life, but he did wish that the children didn’t have to be separated… if only.

But no matter. Scooter wasn’t old enough to know yet.

Not just yet…

Chapter Text

All text in Italics is part of a memory/past event. At the current time of events Seek/Samuel is 25 and Figure/Felix is 23. This makes them 6 years younger than in present time.

Samuel stared down at his children, with tears in his eyes. He loved them so much. They had only been in this world for 6 months, yet already he would go to hell and back for them. Behind him, his wife was screaming yet again, making the twins that he cradled in his arms cry. They didn’t deserve this. No one did.

“Just SHUT UP! You’re making Gilly and Scooter cry!” He shouted, face stained with dried tears, and new ones already threatening to emerge.

Gertrude Grumble-Seek looked at him with eyes that burned bright with hatred. She was only 26, yet the constant frown and look of disdain on her face made her look much older.

His wife looked at him with eyes that burned bright with hatred.

Why did he marry this woman!? Why… Why did he?

                                                                                  _____________________

A few hours later, Samuel was sitting in his room. Alone. Gertrude had probably left to rant about him to her useless friends. His mind slowly drifted back to the question he had asked himself earlier.

Why did he marry her… How could a marriage turn so sour, so quickly…

He sat there, watching his children sleep. They were so peaceful. He loved them more than anything - even his wife. Did his wife even love him? Maybe she used to, but not anymore. 

Why did he marry her… Well, it was a long story

                                                                                  _____________________

2 years ago… (Seek: 23 yrs Queen Grumble: 24 Figure: 21)

Felix was late. This wasn’t normal for him.

“I wonder where he is…” Samuel muttered. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have worried as much, but in the 4 years (10 in present AU time) he’d known the man he had NEVER been late.

Not to mention it had only been 2 years since the… incident… he was still adjusting.

Suddenly a very disheveled red-head came through the library's double doors. He was completely soaked. “Figs!” Samuel shouted the nickname as if it was a magic spell, and ran towards the younger man before hugging him fiercely.

“Oh! Oh hey, Samuel… I apologise for being late” Felix wrapped his arms around Samuel, briefly returning the hug, before letting go. “You’re completely soaked! What happened?!” Samuel questioned.

“Oh well… I was walking here as I’ve been doing the past year or so. Practicing independent walking. I was walking on the wooden bridge that rests over a small stream. You know which one…uh,” He paused to think, “Ah yes! The one where you’d always remark about children playing in when we walked together to work in the summer.”

Samuel nodded, before berating himself for doing so and said “Oh yes that one. I remember playing there as a child as well. The railings on that bridge are so low that we used to jump over them into the water”

He chuckled, but then his smile faded. The height of the railings probably played a part in this.

“That sounds lovely,” Felix continued, “Anyways, as I was walking on the bridge, a woman bumped into me, knocking me into the water. She probably didn’t notice my cane, so it was just an innocent accident.” Felix explained.

But Samuel…Samuel was mad. This wasn’t the first time someone had hurt his friend, who was far too forgiving.

Just then, a quiet creak that symbolised the opening of the library doors cut through the silence.

“Ah yes, I forgot to mention. The woman insisted on coming back to apologise to you for delaying me.

She had already apologised to me”

She had also muttered something about ‘Not wanting to get sued for ####ing discrimination.’ and about how ‘Those disabled people are so entitled, they’d probably snitch’ but he decided it would be better not to tell Samuel about that.

Samuel raised an eyebrow and turned towards the doors. His anger was momentarily forgotten as he took in the woman’s rather elegant form.

The woman who walked in could hardly be described as shy. She looked around the library and scoffed, making a weird face before quickly correcting herself. Her steps were steady and confidant and she was walking with the gracefulness and elegance of a model. Her hips swayed ever so slightly as she walked, her curvy form creating a rather enticing and beautiful picture.

He watched as she flicked a strand of her mousey-brown hair out of her face, before securing it with a pearly white hairclip. Suddenly, the woman looked straight at him, her grey eyes judging him quietly and piercing his soul. He felt his cheeks redden and cursed himself. Clearing his throat, Samuel began to speak.

“Good morning ma’am, I assume you’re the woman my colleague told me about?” She seemed to glare at him for a fraction of a second, (maybe he was imagining it? He didn’t know at this point) before answering.

“Oh yes, that’s me” Her voice was powerful and surprisingly deep. He definitely had not been prepared for the belittling tone it carried, and he was trying very hard not to let it show.

“My name is Samuel Seek, I’m the manager of this Hotel” Samuel introduced himself, offering his hand. The woman seemed to hesitate, almost as if she was checking if his hand was clean, before accepting the gesture. Samuel felt something flutter inside him as her hand slipped momentarily into his. ‘Stop! This is not okay, that’s the ###ch that knocked over your friend’ he told himself.

That’s all she was, another careless person. So why did the sight of her make him feel so… His thoughts were interrupted by the woman slipping her hand out of his.

“Gertrude Grumble” The woman announced, before pausing for a second, as if deep in thought, a few seconds later she spoke again. “You said you’re the manager right? It must be hard working two jobs, you must be very smart to balance your time like that”

All of a sudden Gertrude seemed so flirtatious, as if someone had flipped a switch inside of her. She was batting her eyelashes, ever so slightly leaning towards the poor man in front of her who was now panicking internally.

Why was she so close… did she like him? No way. She’s too pretty for that right? Then his brain suddenly remembers what she said, and he snaps back to reality, falling out of his spiralling thoughts.

“Wait- what do you mean two jobs?” He asks, still slightly flustered. Gertrude Grumble looks at him as if he’d just said something stupid.

“Well out of the two of you, I’d assume you’d be the librarian” She gave Samuel a questioning look, “Or do you have… another person that’s not here right now?”

Normally, Samuel would already be at this woman’s throat, the insult towards his friend completely obvious in her words. But this was different. His brain was still short-circuiting, and his thoughts were too clouded with the possibility that she thought he was very smart and capable. Would it be possible for a woman like her to like him? No. Surely, She was just toying with him. The poor man had no idea how to deal with women. One look from someone like Gertrude and he’d be sent into a downward spiral of anxious thoughts and what-ifs. The butterflies that seemed to constantly rest in his stomach would start to flutter around as if their life depended on him.

This was one of those times, unfortunately. The man was completely incapacitated.

Felix, sorting books on a nearby shelf, fingers gliding over the braille-indented covers placed on all books in the library 2 years ago, had paused. Once it became clear his friend wasn’t going to stand up for him.

The man turned towards the vague direction of Gertrude and said:

“Ma’am I’m the librarian” He spoke softly, as if he was afraid of her. He could make out a quiet sigh coming from the woman’s direction.

“That doesn’t make much sense,” She paused, sighed again and continued,

“But alright I guess. …Sorry… about the mistake” The word sorry sounded like it was being pulled out of her throat by force. Felix guessed that Samuel had gotten himself together and managed to give her ‘the look’.

The redhead didn’t actually know what ‘the look’ well…looked like, but he was told it was rather intimidating. And it was usually delivered in situations like these. Unfortunately being blind while having what many people would consider a ‘controversial job’ for a person like him had led to similar situations before.

“Y-yes well my friend here is quite skilled and completely qualified for his job” Samuel managed to choke out, slowly gaining confidence again.

“And speaking of apologising, what was the purpose of your visit again?” He redirected the conversation.

“Ah, yes. I wish to… apologise… for causing one of your employees to be late” Again, it seemed she struggled with the word apologise as if she was allergic to admitting her mistakes. Not that Samuel noticed. “I-it’s not a problem ma’am. As long as no real harm was done” He was looking down and blushing like a teenager. ‘Compose yourself, you idiot!!’ he thought to himself.

Samuel was down bad for this woman.

Felix could hear the stutter in his friend’s voice. He knew.

Samuel was down bad for this woman.

That’s not good…

“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Gertrude said. Suddenly she fluttered her eyelashes a bit and turned to Samuel, grabbing his hand. “Could we maybe talk somewhere… more private?” She asked. Flashing a very beautiful smile.

“O-of course ma’am”

“Just call me Gertrude” She smiled and squeezed his hand.

“Oh yes of course… Gertrude” He managed to give her an anxious smile in return. And with that, the two left the library.

This wasn’t going to end well…

                                                                                   _____________________

‘The man is a manager… he must be pretty well off’ Gertrude thought to herself as she walked hand-in-hand with Samuel. ‘Maybe I can finally get myself a rich guy. Even if he acts like a complete idiot.’ They walked through a pair of glass doors into the empty courtyard. No one would be outside at lunchtime. Gertrude let go of his hand and turned to look at him.

“You know, this place isn’t so bad,” She announced, viewing the courtyard. It wasn’t the worst, but the angel thing (she thought it was an angel, what else could it be right?) statue made her shiver. Something about it displeased her.

“I’m happy to hear that” Samuel responded, blushing a bit yet again.

“The view is beautiful isn’t it…” He murmured. Except he wasn’t looking at the flowers.

‘Wow straight to the point shy boy? Maybe I will marry rich…” She looked him right in the eye, leaning in ever so slightly. Just enough to make him blush and avert his gaze.

He already liked her. Good.

“I think…” She began, “That the view isn’t the only good-looking thing over here”

“Really? What else is so attractive in your opinion?”

He knew she meant him. He just needed to hear the word.

“You”

Gertrude grabbed Samuel by the shoulders, pushing him lightly into the marble pillar behind him and kissed him. For quite some time, her lips leaned into his. Samuel, who had frozen in shock began to ease into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her.

And that’s how it all began…

_____________________

They dated for a few months.

Samuel was so determined to make Gertrude happy- he spent more money than he had on gifts, expensive dinners and outings. Because of this, he was broke for a while, but in his mind, it was all worth it as long as his girlfriend was happy. And his girlfriend was happy.

She was getting exactly what she wanted. Money. Expensive dinners. Jewellery.

‘Maybe dating him is worth it.’ She had thought to herself many times. ‘He might be an idiot but he’s not too bad. At least he knows how to treat a woman’

After only 6 months they got married. Everyone had told them it was too early. They had told them it wouldn’t work out. Gertrude Grumble didn’t care because she thought she was marrying a rich man.

Samuel Seek didn’t care because he thought he was marrying the woman of his dreams.

Both were wrong.

Soon after the marriage, it all fell apart; Samuel’s facade of wealth had been discarded because he thought she’d love him nonetheless. Wrong.

Gertrude’s facade of caring and kindness was discarded because she thought the man would love her either way. Wrong.

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

It’s not like Gertrude cared about him after she discovered his financial situation. He was still paying back the money for all her gifts, dinners and the engagement ring. He told her his bank account would be back to normal soon.

But normal wasn’t enough for her...no…

Soon after Gertrude gave birth to twins, they divorced.

Samuel took the boy- Scooter.

Gertrude took the girl- Gilly.

And that’s how it all went wrong.

Chapter Text

“It’s DECEMBER #####es!” Ami Rusher yelled, running into the library where Samuel, Gwen, Clair and Felix were conversing. 

Samuel jumped, looking like he’d seen a ghost, Gwen flinched, Claire let out a little “Oh my!” and Felix looked like he was about to die or make someone die. 

“Would you please… refrain… from shouting in the library” He hissed. It was rather out of character for him. Samuel patted his shoulder comfortingly, before turning to the embarrassed green/black-haired form of Ami.

“Amelia… would you please keep your voice down, and stop using vulgar language during hotel hours” The manager had quite an unimpressed look on his face. It was almost amusing to the girl.

“Wow… Full names? The hell did ya do sis!?” Ray Rusher, twin to Ami, poked his head around the door, which had been left open.

“I was just telling them all it’s finally December!” She said.

Samuel pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I-”

“Ami, you do know that it has been December for quite a few days now?” Gwen interrupted him. 

“Yeah… But guess who just got rollerblades from their family secret Santa!” 

Everyone except Felix (obviously) looked down and noticed Ami was in fact wearing a pair of sleek white rollerblades with light green-coloured wheels and lightning bolts, stitched onto the rollerblades with hot-pink thread.

“Pretty cool right!? I’m gonna wear them to work everyday now!” She said, a smug, proud smile on her face.

“I-”
“Lovely idea!” Samuel was interrupted yet again, this time by Claire, who looked like the definition of happy.

“Thanks ma’am” 

And she was gone. 

                                                                             _____________________

“I know what we should do this year!” Ami yelled right in Ray’s face when they’re alone.

“Ey! What! Tell me!!” From the look on his sister’s face, he could tell it was going to be exciting. 

“This place looks boring as ####. We should decorate!” She grinned.

“HELL YEAH!” Ray agreed. Then he paused. And his thoughts drifted to Mr. Kill-Joy. “But what ‘bout Samuel. Ain’t no way that absolute kill-joy is gonna agree to that!?”

Ami paused. He was right. There was absolutely no way that the coffee-addicted, tired and BORING manager they had was going to agree to trashing the Hotel with some cheap decorations for Christmas.

Then it hit her.

“Maybe not… but there is some else we can ask!” 

                                                                            _____________________

“Lovely idea!” Clair exclaimed, Ami standing next to her with a smug grin plastered on her face.

“We should get decorating right away! I’ll send someone out for decorations right this minute!” The bubbly Hotel Co-Owner was overjoyed at the prospect of finally making this boring building look a bit nicer. 

“Hmm.. what about Haley? She doesn’t seem too busy right now” Ray suggested. 

“Sure!” Claire agreed, walking off to find the blue-haired electrician. 

After she was gone, the pair began giggling. At least their was one person in the Hotel to save them from the wrath of Mr Kill-Joy.

“I can imagine the old man’s face when he’s forced to hang up paper snowflakes in the lobby” Ray laughed. Even though Samuel was only 8 years older than them and still rather young, the twins had a habit of calling him that.

“Nah, I bet he’d want to go to library. Help out his beloved LIbRarIan. Those two are so close they’re probably dating behind our backs” Ami said, before both broke into a fit of laughter. 

Unfortunately for them, Felix just so happened to be passing by. The twins didn’t see him, so they didn’t see how he paused for a second, blushed and then moved on. No one did. 

                                                                                 _____________________

“Christmas decorations?!” Haley said to herself. The poor woman didn’t know a thing about buying Christmas decor. She didn’t really decorate at home. 

Lucky for her, she knew someone who might be a bit more educated in the tedious art of aesthetics and decor. Haley found a number in her phone and called it.

“Yes?” A young man’s voice answered.

“Hey Ira, mind helping me out a little?”

                                                                                   _____________________

Twenty minutes later, Ira- a rather short, 26 year old man with blond fluffy hair died lavender at the ends, wearing a dark purple button-up cardigan and beige trousers- was waiting for Haley in the carpark of Splash Shopping Centre. 

When he saw her, his lips perked up in a barely noticeable smile and he gave her a small wave. 

“Hello Haley” He pulled her into a quick side hug and they began walking in the direction of the shopping centre. 

“Hey there Ira” Haley responded. Ira had been her best friend since they were children. He has always been by her side. Now here he was, using his skills as an artist and interior designer to help his friend out in a decoration crisis. 

“Thanks for helping me out. I’m hoping you know a bit more about decorating than me” She chuckled.

“Well as an interior designer it would be concerning if I didn’t” Ira responded, smiling a bit more.

Haley laughed a bit at his remark, the fondness she had for her friend unmistakeable ib her piercing blue eyes.

They walked inside a dollar store, crowded with cheap christmassy trinkets and other different stuff. 

As they surveyed the colourful christmas-themed things the store had to offer, Ira would sometimes stop, inspect something, then put it into the shopping basket.

Half an hour later, they had a large pile of Christmas decorations and were leaving with two bags of paper snowflakes, tinsel and other stuff in each hand.

                                                                                 _____________________

Haley dumped the bags in front of a confused Samuel Seek. 

“What do you mean decorating?!”

“I mean Claire Lights told me to and you get to sort this out”

And the poor man was left alone. 

Alone of course, except for the twins laughing in the background. 

Chapter Text

What was Jack Shade, if not a Gossip Queen? His seemingly open and friendly demeanour allowed him to get into just the right groups and pick up some juicy facts once in a while. He often hung around the Hotel, and knew quite a lot about it’s employees too.

One thing he found interesting was people’s love lives. He had played match maker more than once, and quite often, the results were pretty good. Jack was good with people. 

So when, while visiting the Hotel again, he heard some whispers. 

Whispers about Ray Rusher having a crush on Durian Duped of course he needed to act.

Except this was going to be a slightly harder case.

You see, Durian Duped was a cheeky, rude, and slightly obnoxious woman. She was also pretty intimidating, even when wearing her uniform, which she had customised (much to Samuel's annoyance) to consist of sloppily cut Hotel trousers, fishnet tights, a whole lot of belts, and fishnet arm warmers. Her messed dark brown hair, red eye contacts, and sly grin made her attractive yet also slightly scary in the eyes of others. 

And Ray Rusher couldn’t resist her.

The usually energetic and loud young man became quiet and jittery around her. Every time she smiled at him he became a hot mess. And Jack just couldn’t resist helping him out.

“Hilda darling!” He shouted from his spot on the couch.

“Yes?” His wife came up to him and sat down as well.
“Do you happen to know a certain Ray Rusher, who works at the Hotel. I’m pretty sure he’s a bell boy or something other.”
Hilda smiled slightly, “I do. He’s a nice guy. A bit loud, but nice. What about him?”
“Well…I heard the young man has fallen a lady who also happens to work in the Hotel”
Hilda facepalmed, she knew what was about to some.
“Jack..No.”
“I have no idea what you mean my dear”

She looked him straight in the eyes with a glare harsh enough to kill a bear
“Yes you do. Jack. NO”

“Jack YES!”
And he was gone.

                                                                                      _____________________

There she was, Durian Duped, the woman that had captured his heart.

“Ow!” Ray had walked into the wall while staring at her. He felt like an idiot.
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Greetings young man” Ray spinned around, fists poised and ready to punch the owner of that hand. 

“Why calm down, all I did was say hello” Standing behind him was Jack Shade. The man he recognised as Hilda’s husband. 

“Oh, sorry ‘bout that. Didn’t see know it was ya” He apologised, feeling a bit stupid.

“Oh, no problem. All forgotten all forgiven” He flashed a quick smile.

“Now… Onto the real reason I’m here!” 

The younger man looked at him with confusion.
“I’ve noticed you eyeing a certain fine young lady” Jack whispered.

Ray’s eyes widened, and his cheeks turned red. Embarrassed, he half shouted:
“Well so what?! What’s that got to do with you huh?”

“Woah woah calm down” The taller man raised his pale hands in mock-surrender. “I just wanna help you out. Give you a few tips to capture that fine lady’s heart”

Ray raised an eyebrow.

“Really?”
“Yep”

He thought for a moment… maybe it would be worth it.

“Fine…”

“Perfect! Now let’s get started!”

He grabbed Ray by the arm and dragged him out of the Hotel.

“But my shift-”
“Is about to end anyway. Calm down, my dear friend”

                                                                                        _____________________

“What are we doing here!?” Ray questioned, as the pair stood in front of a men’s clothing shop.

“Getting you some better clothes, you’re going to be asking her out to the Hotel’s annual Christmas Party after all!”
“I AM??” The poor man almost fainted. He couldn’t imagine looking Durian in the eyes and asking her to go out with him.  

“You are nowwwww” Jack sang, pushing Ray into the shop.

He turned to one of the staff with a smile.

“Do you think you can find anything for this fine gentleman?” Jack asked, gesturing to Ray, who looked more annoyed than anything.

“Of course, I can sir!” The young woman gave them a painfully wide smile, before rushing away to find some clothes for Jack’s poor companion.

A few minutes later, she came back, her arms filled with an excessive amount of stylish suites. 

“Is this okay?” The woman asked.

“Perfect, perfect my dear!” Jack exclaimed. Ray didn’t look so sure.

“Ar-” Ray began

“Now go try these on!” He pushed Ray into the changing room. “And let us see each one!!”

The younger man sighed, fiddling with the grey streak in his hair. 

This was going to be a long day…

                                                                                         ____________________

“How about this one?” It was the 12th suit and Ray was already on the brink of insanity.

“Oh no not at all! Blue is not your colour.”

“UGHH” He marched back into the changing room. The next few minutes went much the same way:

“Too colourful”
“Too boring”
“Don’t like the pattern”
“Looks tacky”
“You’re not going to a funeral my friend”

“It’s so bad I don’t even want to give a reason”

Jack was VERY picky when it came to fashion it seemed.

“UGH. WHEN WILL WE BE DONE!???” 

“As soon as you find a nice suit. Calm down, it’s only been 2 hours”

“I’ve been tryin’ on stupid suits for two ####ing hours!?”
Ray couldn’t believe it.

He wouldn’t have let Jack help him if he had known it meant going through Fashion Hell.

Sighing, he went back into the changing room. In front of him lay yet another suit.

It was rather nice, a dark grey colour with a swirling pattern imprinted into the fabric. He picked it up to observe it. 

It didn’t look too bad.

After putting it on, Ray took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. The suit was rather nice. The dark grey colour matched his eyes and the dyed streak in his hair. It wasn’t too tight or too loose. One could say it was even..perfect.

He stepped out of the changing room.

“I like this one” He announced. 

The moment Jack saw him, his eyes lit up, he ran closer to Ray and exclaimed:
“Ah yes!! This is the one! It was made for you my friend! Come now!! We must buy it instantly!!” 

“But I don’t have my credit c-”
“Nonsense! I’ll pay of course!” The taller man was already pulling him to the checkout.

“But-”
“No ‘Buts’ my friend. This was my idea after all!”

And that’s how Ray got a free suit he had never wanted in the first place.

But what he cared about more, was that he had to ask out Durian next week…

Chapter Text

Durian inspected her nails, they had recently been painted, but the black polish on them was already almost completely scratched off. Tomorrow was the Hotel’s annual Christmas Party. She really didn’t want to go, but Gwen said participation was necessary unless you were sick and Durian had called in sick almost 4 times in the last month so that was out of the question. 

She sensed movement out of the corner of her eye and whipped around to find Ray Rusher standing there. He looked nervous.

“Yeah?” She asked. Durian didn’t mind Ray. In fact, she almost enjoyed his company, although if asked she would instantly deny it.

“Hey Durian” Ray managed to choke out. He looked at her, took a deep breath and went for it:
“Ya know how the Christmas Party thing is tomorrow..” 

“Yeah. What about it?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Would..would ya like to er.. Go with me? Like as a date. But if ya don’t want to it’s totally fine yeah!” He blurted out that last part, a slight blush forming on his cheeks.

He looked down at the floor. Ray hated this. Why was he such a mess!!? 

He also didn’t like the fact that Jack was spying on them from a nearby closet but oh well, he always was a bit extra.

Durian looked at him for a moment, before a small smile formed on her face. It looked teasing but that was just how she looked most of the time. 

“Sure”
“Oh I kn- Wait wha’! Really?” Ray’s face lit up in a mixture of surprise and happiness.

“Yeah. Why not?” 

“I dunno, just thought you might say nah I guess” He replied.

“Well I didn’t. Cya tomorrow!”
“Cya!”

Ray waited until she was out of earshot, before punching the air in celebration.

“‘ell yeah!” He was beaming.

“Well done my boy!! Oh well done my dear friend. That was quite the show” Jack had stepped out of a nearby closet to give Ray a quick celebratory hug.
“I knew you could do it,” Jack said. He was also smiling, except this was a rather fond smile. Like a father watching his son. 

“Thanks. I owe ya” Ray responded. He truly was grateful. 

“No you don’t! I enjoy this!!” The taller man exclaimed. 

“Right now, I should be off my friend,” He said, looking at his watch. “Someone has to pick up dear little Sally from school”
“Yeah alright. Thanks again!”
“No problem, my friend! No problem at all!” 

                                                                                 _____________________

“Felix it’s fine”
“I insist”
Felix was blowing up balloons and attempting to tie them. He’d been doing this for a few minutes now.

“Then at least let me help with that,” Samuel said. 

“You really do concern yourself too much. No harm in letting me help out a bit”

Samuel sighed and gave up.

“I suppose. Thank you for helping”
“No problem at all”

“Those two are such sentimental saps” Gwen giggled to her sister.

“They really are. 5 pounds that they’re secretly dating” Claire offered.

“Deal” They both laughed quietly.

“I feel like a highschooler all over again”
“Now looks who’s being sentimental”
“Seriously Claire?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” She laughed, setting up the snack table.

“Yes. Yes, you do” Gwen said, smiling. She walked over to her sister and helped with the table, straightening out the light blue tablecloth.

The four worked for about another hour, setting up snacks and decorating. Moments like these were the ones they cherished the most. 

Sentimental saps indeed. 

All four of-

“Samuel! Where did you put that giant helium-inflated balloon?! You know the one with ‘Doors Hotel 2024 Christmas on it?!’” 

Hey! No interrupting the narrator!

“I tied it to a chair”

“Well, it’s not there!!”
“Really Gwen, try looking a little hard-”

He paused. It was not there.

“Oh…”
Three out of the four decorators looked up. There it was. The custom (and may I mention expensive) balloon with the words ‘Doors Hotel 2024 Christmas’ written on it in a cursive white font.

“DAMMIT” Samuel shouted, and they all heard a crash.

“Would you mind giving a warning next time Sam?” Felix had been startled and somehow fell on top of the helium canister behind him. He was splayed out on the floor like a pancake.

“Oh my Light I’m so sorry Figs are you hurt or anything at all oh my Light I forgot about your hearing I’m so-”
Samuel’s ranting about just how extremely sorry he was, was interrupted by the librarian laughing.

“It’s fine!” He said, sitting up and dusting himself off “No harm done. You really do worry too much about me!”

Samuel felt like an idiot when Gwen and Claire also began to laugh behind him.

“Are you done now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah yes. Yep. What were we doing again?” Gwen asked after calming herself down.

“The balloon” Claire reminded her sister. Oh yeah.

The hall’s ceiling was very tall. Even Felix wouldn’t be able to reach that. 

“Well, seems we’re never getting that back” Samuel muttered.

“Oh no, no no mister. You are getting that somehow because that thing cost a fortune! And it’s tradition! We’ve had one of these at every party for 5 years now!”

Yep. Gwen was pissed. And that was a rare sighting indeed.

“Fine, I’ll get it down somehow calm down. Anyone got a ladder?”

No one had a ladder.

And that’s how Samuel Seek, the tired, ‘killjoy’ manager of Doors Hotel, was left trying to fetch a balloon by climbing on five stacked-up chairs. 

“Almost! Almoooosst!”
“Samuel, be careful!” Felix couldn’t see anything but he was rather worried for his friend. 

“I’ve got it don’t worry!” Samuel was so close. He grabbed the string.

“YES! GOT IT” And jumped up. All five chairs tumbled from their positions and Samuel looked like a frightened cat that had just been pushed off its chosen perch. 

“LIGHT DAMMIT- AH” Samuel fell right on top of a worried Felix.

“Got you. More or less”
“I suppose you could say that. Ow, why are your elbows so spiky?”
“I was born this way, appreciate it” The librarian chuckled. Samuel clambered off of his friend and helped him get up.

“I am never decorating again”
“You wish. I’ll be seeing you here next year” Gwen chuckled. 

                                                                       _____________________

The hall was illuminated beautifully by dozens of twinkling lights, decorations were hung up everywhere, creating a lovely atmosphere. But Ray couldn’t focus on any of that. No. His mind was one thing and one thing only.

‘Will she show up? Will she show up?’

He was almost sweating from nervousness. Everyone who knew the Hotel bellboy knew that he wasn’t the type to be nervous. Guess that’s just what crushes do to people. 

“She probably ditched me…” Ray mumbled under his breath. “Well it was worth a try”
“Who ditched you?” A woman’s voice said from behind him. Durian. She looked amazing as always; wearing a black mini-skirt, a dark red tank top complete with fishnet tights, gloves and silver jewellery. 

“Oh uh...no- no one!” He blurted out. “Ya look…real pretty by the way. Seriously. Love the skirt” Ray tried to give her a casual smile, but it was obvious how nervous he was. Durian just smiled.

“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself. A lil pish posh but the suit isn’t that bad” 

“Thanks…” Ray smiled back, a bit less nervously.
His sister Ami, who just so conveniently happened to be in charge of the music (definitely with zero persuasion from Jack), noticed the pair and put on some slow, romantic music.

“Time to pair up!” She yelled into the mic. “I don’t wanna see no one by themselves. Got that!?”

Reluctantly everyone paired up.

Gwen danced with her sister Claire, Haley and Hilda went over to their respectable friends/husbands who they had been allowed to invite (Ira and Jack). Felix and Samuel also paired up (quite awkwardly though) which resulted in a wolf whistle, coming from Ami’s general direction.

That left Ray and Durian alone.

“Uh…would ya like to dance”
Durian raised an eyebrow at him, looked around and smiled.
“Sure. I don’t mind” She responded.

Ray placed a hand on her shoulder, another wrapped lightly around her waist.

‘Light Dammit! Why am I so nervous?!!’ he thought. 

Durian could tell he was nervous. It’s not something she would usually do, but something about him was so…endearing?

“Hey, calm down. I’ve done this one or twice. Lemme show you” Slowly, she guided him as they both swayed together to the music. Durian couldn’t believe herself. Why was she acting so soft?!

“Psst Felix” Samuel whispered.

“Yes?”
“Ray and that Durian girl are dancing together”
“Oh yes. I heard he had quite a crush on her. I hope it goes well for them”
“So do I”

Sometime later, the music was changed back to some upbeat Christmas songs and all the ‘couples’ separated. They all danced for quite a while and it ended with Jack getting tipsy and falling over because someone (*cough cough* Ami *cough cough*) had tampered with his drink using their sleeping medication. Hilda had to drag him back, face red with embarrassment and drive them both home.

Overall it was a lovely night. And a quite exciting for a certain pair of employees, who may now have a mutual crush on each other. 

“Hey Figs”
“Yes, Samuel?”
“Bet you 10 pounds those two will be together by the end of the month”

“I give them about 5 weeks”

“Deal?”
“Deal”

                                                                              _____________________

“So uhh..” Ray began, as he walked Durian to her car, “Did ya have fun?”

“Yeah I guess you could say that” She replied. They walked in silence until they reached Durian’s car.

“It wasn’t too bad. Guess I’ll be seeing you around!” She hopped into her car and stuck out her tongue in a playful manner. Ray waved her away with a smile as she drove off.

“Phew… Maybe she likes me back!” He said to himself, “Maybe…”

Chapter Text

Scooter Seek looked at his drawing.
“It’s perfect” He mumbled. It was a drawing of him and his dad holding hands, drawn as wonky stick figures. Their hair looked like two piles of black straw but it was good enough. The boy wrote in scribbly handwriting ‘FoR dAD’ and smiled. 

“Dad’s gonna love it!” Scoot ran down the hallway, he couldn’t wait to give it to his Dad. He’d been looking sad recently, so maybe if Scooter cheered him up they could do something fun! 

“Yes yes, I know… No, I don’t like it either.” Scooter paused. Dad was talking on the phone with someone. He decided to listen in.

“The rent for this place is just too high and I don’t like this area either- too dangerous. Maniac drivers speeding across the roads on Scooter’s way to school for Light’s sake!”
What? What was Dad talking about? And what the FRICK is rent?!

“We’re probably going to move soon”

WHAT. No way! He couldn’t move away from all his friends and stuff! And..uh and well..he just couldn’t! Yeah!! 

Scooter ran back down the hallway, tearing up his picture. Dad didn’t deserve it!

The boy felt tears in his eyes. 

“Oh comn’ don’t be a sissy!” He mumbled to himself. This was the worst day ever!

                                                                             _____________________

“Yeah we’ll be moving. But just to the next-” Samuel heard a shuffle. “Hang on a second. I’ll call you back Figs”

“Screechers? Scoot?” He looked into the corridor, just in time to see his son turn the corner. 

“Must’ve been playing one of his imaginary games. Or something” 

He strolled into the kitchen. Maybe it was time for lunch. Something easy… he couldn’t be bothered to cook anything elaborate. Pizza? He probably has some frozen in the freezer. He’d also tell Scooter about the move. However, he doubted it would affect him much since they were only moving two streets away into an apartment. 

Samuel put the frozen pizza into the oven, setting a timer for half an hour.

“That should do it for now,” He said, turning the kettle on. He needed some tea. For once in his life Samuel had decided to take a break from coffee. The man already missed it. He desperately needed caffeine.

The kettle beeped. Finally.

Samuel poured the hot water into his cup. After two minutes he took out the tea bag and left the kitchen.

“I should call Felix again,” He thought out loud, picking up his phone. After a few rings, the librarian answered. 

“Hello?”
“It’s me again Felix. Since you know, we were sort of interrupted”
“Oh yes of course. I completely forgot.” That was a lie. The redhead had been sitting by his phone with a braille book, waiting for Samuel to call. It’s not like he had much to do.

“Alright. Well as I was saying, I’m planning on moving to Chase Street. It’s only two streets away from where I am now. I decided the two of us don’t really need that much space. Me and Scoot you know. So we’ll be moving into an apartment instead of our bungalow”  Samuel explained.

“Oh, that’s nice. The rent will definitely be a little bit lower. I guess that’ll make things much easier for you”
“Yep,” Samuel smiled to himself.

“I don’t think Scooter will have to change schools since it’s only a two-street difference”
“Oh no, he won’t. There’s no point. And even if he were to change schools, I’d never hear the end of it”
“That makes sense. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask if you had anything to do tonight. For new year’s. If not, you and Scooter can always stop by”

“I don’t believe we have anything planned. It’s not like I’m going to be stopping by my father’s any time soon” He chuckled. Samuel knew what Felix really meant. Of course, he just wanted to be nice, but deep down he also didn’t want to be by himself. The man absolutely hated fireworks. To the librarian they were just there to produce noise which startled him and left him shaken by the end of the night. Samuel remembered watching an article about PTSD in war veterans. This wasn’t the same thing obviously, but it felt similar. 

He was broken out of his thoughts by Felix’s voice.

“That’s great. Come whenever you feel like it. I’m not busy at all. In fact, I’m just bored”

“Alright” Samuel smiled again, “Is 8pm good”
“Yep”

And the call ended.

On the other end of the line, Felix had accidentally pressed the end call button. He decided there was no point in calling again. After all, they had discussed practically everything they needed to talk about. 

He put his braille book back on the shelve he was sitting next to and stood up. 

“What to do?” After a while, he decided to take a nap, setting his alarm for 7pm. Living alone was boring sometimes. Oh well, at least he would have company soon. 

                                                                           _____________________

Samuel looked around, trying to find Scooter. He wasn’t in his room, the kitchen the living room. Where the HELL could he be!? He’d even tried screaming pizza and yet Scoot was nowhere to be seen. 

A crash came from the bathroom. 

“Of course the bathroom! Why didn’t I check it!” Samuel ran too the bathroom and practically flung the door open. It revealed Scooter crying in an empty bathtub, surrounded by fallen shampoo bottles. Quite a sight. 

“WHAT THE HELL!? I was worried! Why are you hiding in the bathtub!? And crying… Hey…What’s wrong buddy?” Samuel’s mood had magically shifted the minute he saw his son crying. It’s strange what parenting does to a person.

“Y- you said we’re moving!” Scooter pushed his dad away. “I don’t wanna leave my friends!” 

So that’s what this was about.

“Hey..listen to me  Screechers. We’re not moving far away. Just to the apartments two streets down”
Scooter wiped his eyes. Seriously!? He had gotten all worked up for nothing?
“Really?”
“Really. Now let’s eat lunch, we’re going to Felix’s in a few hours”
“That tall guy?”
Samuel laughed “Yes, that tall guy” 

                                                                               _____________________

“10..9...8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1”

“Happy New Year!” All three of them half-shouted.

“Well I suppose that’s 2024 ov-” Felix was cut off by a loud boom, which echoed across the street outside and was quickly followed by another, and another. 

“Fireworks! Cool!” Scooter ran over to the window.

Felix was noticeably becoming more irritated with every firework that went off outside. Samuel sat down next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

“Should I go get your earplugs?”
“That…would be great”
He stood up and walked over to a shelf where the earplugs lay inside a little box. The librarian had often used them when it was too loud for him in some places. He handed them to Felix, who quickly put them in.

“Thank you”
“No problem”
Samuel’s hand returned to the redhead’s shoulder, patting it to offer whatever sort of comfort he could.

“Thank you” 

Samuel was confused.

“You already thanked me”
“That was for the earplugs. Thanks for being here”
“No problem”

Chapter Text

Samuel dragged the last box into his new apartment. Finally. It took him and Scooter about an hour to get all their things up 4 flights of stairs. He sat down next to the box he had just brought inside. 

‘JUNK’ was written on the cardboard box. It was probably stuff from the attic. Samuel had no idea how many miscellaneous items had been sitting in the attic. Most of this was random junk his dad had decided he didn’t want and had simply dumped on his overwhelmed son. Oh well.

The man peered inside. The first thing that caught his eye was a weird painting. It was dusty and stained in one corner.

“Probably hasn’t been touched in a while” He mumbled. 

The entire canvas had been painted black and covered with eyes. Almost as if it was staring at you… There was a signature at the bottom. It had faded so much that the cursive letters were barely visible.  ‘G.S’  

Father? Perhaps…

Samuel made a decision there and then. He didn’t know why, but he did. Taking a permanent marker out of his jacket pocket, the man scribbled over the signature. Grabbing the painting, a nail and a hammer, he pinned it to the wall. Right where the living room was going to be. 

Samuel considered it a bit sentimental and cheesy, but as he stared down at the painting (A painful reminder that had reopened an old wound), the man whispered to himself:

“This isn’t a painting…” He looked where Scooter was sitting in another corner, playing games on his iPad.

“...It’s a promise”

In that moment, he had promised himself never to be like his father.

And then he screamed at himself mentally for being cheesy-

“Ay, Dad!” Samuel whipped around to face his son. 

“Yes?”
“I beat level 6 in my new game!” He waved the iPad he had in his hand. Some colourful images were flashing on the screen, and he could make out some blurry characters bouncing up and- 

Wait. Blurry?
‘But I’m only a few steps away from him… Maybe it’s time to get some glasses’

Samuel had a rough couple of weeks, there had been a bunch of paperwork to fill out because a new employee was joining the Hotel. Louie was a bright, mousy-haired young man with an acne-speckled face who mainly worked in the cafeteria.

Louie himself wasn’t too bad; he was a charming young man, but the amount of paperwork needed… Absolute hell . Not to mention the usual bills and other miscellaneous pieces of work.

Samuel had been forced to sit over papers at home for the past few weeks to keep up with the work. He often found himself squinting at tiny print at 11 in the night. 

That explains a bit.

“What is it Dad? You’re doing a weird squinty eye thingy”

“Oh it’s nothing buddy” Samuel reassured his son, making a mental note to see an optologist soon, “How about you help me carry your stuff to your new room?”

Scooter jumped up, the game already forgotten

“Sure”

                                   ____________________

Everything had been arranged in Scooter’s room when Samuel’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

“Eyyyy Killjoy!”
It was Ami.

“Why are you calling me on a Saturday?” The tiredness in his voice was tangible.

“Stop being such a wuss. Anyway, we’re all gonna have a party tonight, Celebrating your new place because we’re just nice like that. Come at seven pm and  I don’t want to hear the word no! BYE!”

“But wait wh-” Silence. “Great she hung up” 

Samuel’s phone pinged quietly, alerting him to a new message.

P.S. There’ll be booze!
He sighed, running a hand over his face. He really didn’t want to… but then again, maybe it was about time he let himself go a little bit. The man glanced over to where Scooter was dragging boxes of toys and clothes into his new room. He’d ask Hilda to sit him for a bit. His very introverted sister rarely went to parties. 

His phone pinged yet again, dragging him out of his thoughts. 

Ami again.

Oh yeah and ur boyfriend will be there too lol don’t worry.

The text read. The man groaned out loud, blushing just a tiny bit.

S: For the last time: Not my boyfriend! He texted back

A: Yeah sure. Whatever you say, killjoy!
S: Don’t call me that. I’m still your boss

A: It’s Saturday! not my boss on weekends!

Samuel couldn’t help but chuckle as he put his phone away. Ami was like a child at times. Wait no. All the time . That’s better. He picked up a cardboard box that was sitting next to him, and carried it into the small room that was going to be his new room. 

Hours of assembling furniture and putting trinkets on shelves passed by and soon it was six in the afternoon. Samuel took out his phone, finding his sister’s number in the list of contacts. 

After about 4 rings she picked up. 

“Hey Hide” Yet another nickname he had invented for his sister. Because according to him, it matched her introverted nature perfectly.

“What do you want Samuel?” She sounded tired. But then again she always did. It was one thing the Seek siblings had in common. 

“I was wondering if I could drop Scooter at your place for a few hours? Ami invited me to some sort of party with the excuse of ‘celebrating my new house’. Although we both know she just wants an excuse to get out that crusty karaoke machine”
He could hear his sister chuckling on the other end of the line. 

“Just because she got a video of you belting out Bohemian Rhapsody while you were tipsy doesn’t mean you have to judge the machine.”
Samuel cleared his throat, embarrassed, “Yeah yeah okay. Anyways… can you watch him?”
“Sure. You know, I’m pretty sure Jack is also going to that party thing”
“And leaving you alone?”
“Yeah. It gives me a chance to set up a surprise.”
“A surprise?”
“Yep. Mama! Can you help me with my colour book?!. ” Sally’s voice could be heard faintly on the other end of the line. Hilda laughed softly. “I’ve got to go. Bye”
“Bye”

                                   ____________________

“Be good for your Aunty. If I hear a singe complaint about you then no Roblox this weekend” Samuel warned, looking at his son as if it was a matter of life and death.

“Yeah dad got it bye!” Scooter dismissed him, waving and running inside. He liked going to Hilda’s because she made great pizza. That and she let him play Roblox for as long as he wanted until bedtime.

Samuel waved back, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Sighing, he got back into the car and drove away, wondering if this was a good idea. Just like his sister, he’d never been much for parties, but he definitely wasn’t as much of a shy mouse as her. 

As he pulled up into Ami’s driveway, the man could see about 6 other cars already parked around the small house. 

He glanced at his watch: 7:10.
This was going to be a long night…

Chapter Text

Not a chapter, sorry. Just letting you know I won't be able to publish this week since I'm gonna be out of the country. Stay safe and drink water (bc yes) :3

Chapter Text

As soon as Samuel entered, music and lights overwhelmed him. Some sort of hip-hop music was playing, acting as background noise for the loud and (what he assumed from all the laughing) either hilarious or drunk conversations. 

He decided to go with the latter.

The walls of Ami’s combined kitchen and living room were covered with specks of colourful light, coming from the dusty disco light sitting on the kitchen counter. 

His eyes searched the crowd for one specific face. Ami, who was (much to Samuel’s horror) setting up her bright green, plastic karaoke machine, had said earlier that Felix would be here. Walking forward and getting pushed over by people he recognised and much more he didn’t, Samuel couldn’t resist a sigh. Only 15 minutes had passed since the supposed start of the party, how could people already be intoxicated?! Then again, half of these people had probably arrived 30 minutes early. So much for etiquette. 

He hoped Felix hadn’t gotten drunk too. The redhead was awful at holding his liquor. Samuel had only seen him drunk once and it was then that he learnt one glass could turn the man into a giggly, woozy mess. He had to guide the librarian back home and sit there until he fell asleep. Oh well.

Eventually, Samuel spotted Felix sitting on a small couch in the corner, far away from all the shouts and laughs of the other partygoers. He was sipping a glass of some sort of alcoholic beverage. The tall man’s cheeks were almost matching his hair colour. 

Oh dear.

“Felix.” Samuel placed a hand on his friends shoulder, letting him know where he was. 

“Ah! Oh dear.. Hi Samuel” Felix let out a nervous giggle, his words were slightly slurred, but at least he still recognised his friends voice. It did, however, look like he was going to need an escort tonight. Samuel tutted but smiled nonetheless.

“Good to see you too” Samuel responded jokingly, patting Felix’s back before moving his hand to rest on his own knee. He thought for a bit then spoke up a bit.

“I’m going to go get chips or something. I know Ami put out some food. Take it easy with the glass by the way, I’m not planning on becoming a babysitter again” He chuckled, moving away to grab a bowl of… well whatever was left by now. 

Felix’s cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red than his beverage has already tinted them at the mention of last time. Ray, along with some other woozy Hotel staff, had pressured him into drinking, shouting “Drink! Drink! Drink!” along with some other smallminded slogans. The rest was a blur honestly. He couldn’t remember what he had said the rest of the night. However, he remembered Samuel’s voice lecturing him as he was lightly pushed into the back of a car. Probably a taxi.

“I’m back. There were some salted crackers left” Felix was pulled out of his thoughts by Samuel’s voice. The couch cushions moved slightly and Felix blushed at the fact that Samuel was sitting so close to him. 

What what?!

No no no… this was wrong. Well the internal feelings, the little flutter of his heart when around the older man was normal. But the blushing? Felix usually managed to suppress any physical reaction to his presence. Maybe he was imagining it? No… he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks, the way his face was warmer than usual and the floaty feeling- 

“You okay?” Oh yeah, Samuel had said something to him earlier. Crackers? Something.

“Yeah I’m fine. Uh thanks” The sentence was punctuated with a little giggle which Felix quickly suppressed by bringing his half-full glass to his lips. This was his second one. Probably. 

The party had been so overwhelming that Felix had just wandered around until he found a place where the music and the talking wasn’t so loud. He’d sat down on the first seat he found, which just so happened to be this couch. On the table he’d found an abandoned glass full of something a glass bottle. He’d just sat there sipping at it full of regret about coming here.

He regretted drinking that first glass now, but it was too late to go back. He downed the glass, knowing Samuel was probably staring at him.

“What was that about?” His friend questioned, the confusion in his voice palpable, along with a thread of disappointment. Felix was usually so calm and collected. What the hell was going on?
“Nothin mate.. Uh.. yeah um Samuel. Mhm” Mate? Felix was definitely not in his right mind now. Samuel sighed, running a hand down his face. Felix was blushing all over and giggling like a child. This wasn’t like him. The Felix he knew didn’t down a glass and get himself drunk on purpose.

“What is it? Because this isn’t normal Felix” Samuel asked, his voice was laced with concern. Something was going on.

Felix blushed even more (which shouldn’t be humanly possible by now but oh well) and the tiny sober part of his mind cursed him for it, but was quickly swallowed up by the nonsense that currently inhabited the rest of his brain. He buried his face in his hands, the warmth of them giving his some comfort as his brain allowed him to properly feel the things he had felt for the Hotel Manager for some time now.

“Nothin… All good buddy,” Felix’s lifted his head from his hands to give Samuel a very unconvincing smile. The older man was not impressed.

“No it’s not,” Samuel looked at his friend with the same concern that laced his every word, “Now please, tell me what’s wrong because I’m not going to stop you about this before you tell me.”

A tiny alarm bell rang in Felix’s head and suddenly the words left his mouth before his slowed down mind could comprehend them.

“I like you!” He blurted out, blushing. He couldn’t help the drunken giggle that escaped his lips. What was so funny? Samuel was probably going to hate him now.

“Wait what?” The older man was panicking, trying to process what had just been said.

“Like as in.. um love?” He asked, his mind still spinning with the weight of Felix’s confession. 

Felix hung his head in shame, not wanting Samuel to see him.
“Yes… I’m sorry” It was all his fault, so many years of friendship destroyed by his stupid feelings an-

“You have nothing to be sorry for” Samuel said, grabbing the librarian’s hand. It felt warm and strangely comforting.

“But… you’re not gay. Right?” Felix asked, his voice full of sadness and regret. Samuel couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m bi. Felix I’m bi. So you have nothing to be sorry for… because I might… like you too” Samuel confessed. He’d been in denial for months, but now, he finally let himself acknowledge the fact that he didn’t have to be straight because someone (*cough cough* his father) wanted him to be like that. Especially if it meant being with Felix.

“Really? Y-you sure?” Felix whispered, his words still slurred but his mind had somehow snapped awake at Samuel’s words.
“Yes. I’m sure. If you’re willing to give me a try,” Samuel confirmed, resting his other hand on Felix’s shoulder. 

“I would be more than happy to” Felix answered. 

None of them knew when or how, but suddenly they were kissing, Felix wrapping his arms around Samuel while the other ran his finger’s through the librarians red hair. 

“THEY KISSED! HELL YEAH RAY YOU OWE ME 20 BUCKS!” 

The couple pulled away away from each other frantically, and Samuel looked up to see a small crowd of Hotel Staff gathered around them, with Ami looking like an over-excited child.

He groaned in frustration, looking up at them all disapprovingly. Even the Light Sisters were giggling at the back of the crowd. Great. He could only force out three words:
“##ck you all”

They all just laughed.

Chapter Text

I'm sorry but recently I never have the time to write, so unfortunately, I'm discontinuing this fanfic.
Thank you for all the kudos and kind comments.
I loved writing this but my life and scheduele hates me :/

Bye bye! :( <3