Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Going to concerts and enjoying the simplicity and complexity of music was something you grew up around. Whether that be school band and choir concerts, a local jazz spot with soft vibes and that sweet sweet combination between woodwinds and strings, even Broadway had been introduced to you at a young age. Your parents were big music enthusiasts, had degrees in music and education even, so you were bound to be cradled in this inescapable interest of yours. It was something that really stuck even after the many hours and tears that came from solo ensemble practice from your youth. 

Music was a part of you whether you liked it or not. And you liked it. You found yourself listening to all sorts of music. Whatever genre that dared find its way into your recommendations somehow made a new home in your ears and brain. Funk, Pop, Classical, Rock, Alt, Metal, Indie, literally everything was something that interested you! And the best part was, there were always new styles to discover and explore. You definitely didn’t have all of them memorized even now. 

However, sometimes by being the kid indulged in their musical family, you ended up surrounded by people who didn’t care enough to show up when it mattered or the people who showed up just.. A little too much for comfort. Your regular friends, you love 'em’ to death, they’re your family! But… They aren’t all that good about supporting you in terms of coming to your performances no matter the size of your role. It’s just a tad discouraging, especially after asking if they’d like to come and what it means to you. And then there are the music kids that are around whether you want them to be or not. A lot of them are fine but some of them just stick around in your personal space bubble even if you hardly know them. There are plenty of people like that in any area whether it's music or the jockey sports players across the school. You definitely don’t miss that about high school and you were thankful that college was a lot easier to handle. 

But then you found yourself alone regardless; stuck at home with a basically useless customer service degree and a job that basically already fired you. You weren’t sure if the ‘limbo’ was even worth it at that point. Music wasn’t what was filled in your mind anymore.. Sure you appreciated all your favorite tunes and the performances you watched on the television but it wasn’t the center of your life anymore- it hadn’t been for a while. And it certainly wasn’t what you expected to make a comeback in your life so suddenly, even if it came from a  certain someone. 

When you opened your front door to find the little blue box with a snug yellow ribbon tied around it, you weren’t really sure what to make of it. Sure, getting a message and a package from an ‘anonymous hacker’ sounds bad.. But you weren’t really all that hesitant to figure out what was inside. It was a pair of glasses… a very stylish pair at that. Those orange lenses coated with the silk design of silver with a small heart to top it all off- sheesh, these looked expensive! And you weren’t quite sure why they had been delivered to you specifically but hey, you weren’t complaining. 

You definitely weren’t complaining when you put them on your face to find a sweet looking woman standing in front of you. You were surprised and honestly a bit uneasy at the thought of these glasses being alive but she was so nice about everything; helping you transition into forgetting everything you kinda knew about existence. So… Every single object in your house was… alive? It was a bit of a stunning concept for your brain to acknowledge and accept but after meeting a few of the… people .. around, it started to feel just a bit more natural. 

The glasses, Skylar Specs, helped introduce you and persuaded you to meet Dorian, your doors plastered all over the house, Phoenicia, your cellphone apparently! And Maggie, the magnifying glass that sat quietly in the living room. After meeting them, the concept of objects being alive and having individual personalities and interests invaded your mind. You suddenly realized you weren’t as alone as you thought you were… and maybe you never had been.

Skylar prompts you to continue awakening the various objects around the house to meet the folks who have been living alongside you for who knows how long! It was… quite the roller coaster actually. You met all kinds of people that day. Or.. well.. Objects that day. Although they didn’t feel like objects at all and you certainly weren’t going to treat them like objects either. Well.. to some extent. 

One of the first things you awoke with the new pair of glasses you received was the couch. A big inviting friendly man named Koa was there, happy as a clam to have you around and to share the beauty of silence with you. It was a new feeling… being around another person and being appreciated even just a little felt way different then you were used to. You can’t lie, sleeping on the couch with Koa was very relaxing. 

Another you had awoken was Fantina; apparently a pretty big you enthusiast. She was incredibly excited to meet you, so much even that she treated you like you were this big all time celebrity star! It wasn’t a bad thing, just new. And apparently there was even a whole fanclub there to support and gawk over you. Not something you ever expected happening within the contents of your home but welcoming nonetheless.

You had also managed to meet the very computer you did all your remote customer service work on, Mac. They were very pleasant to speak to, although apparently they had read every single fanfic you had ever written on their softwares. It was quite embarrassing to learn that but they weren’t judgemental about it or anything! You were kind of excited to pick up your writing hobby some more knowing someone else would enjoy and critique it. 

You pretty much spent the whole day meeting the objects in the house and to be honest.. It was a little exhausting. There were so many things around your house, it would be impossible to awaken every single one on the first day! This would definitely be quite the long ride. 

During the many many chats you enjoyed during the day, somewhere it was mentioned there was a club in the house that was pretty lively at night but also a good spot to wind down and relax. That sounded perfect.. You didn’t really know how there would be a club in the house without you knowing about it but hey, this day has been non-stop surprises. 

So you decide that there's enough energy in that body of yours to meet a few more folks in order to recharge that social battery that runs out way too quickly. This club you heard was called the Breaker Box and was located by… well, your breaker box. It sounded promising enough, your bed could wait. Or, you suppose… Betty could wait? It still felt a little nerve-wracking that you had been sleeping on someone for however long you had lived in this house for but you suppose you’d just have to get used to that in time. 

When you awakened the scene, a tall fellow named Volt greeted you, almost a little too nicely… You smiled and went along with everything but it wasn’t every day a stranger just kissed your hand y’know? There were many flatterers that resided in the house with you. But honestly, you were really more at awe at the fact that your house had basically transformed into a sleek late night vibed club though. You definitely weren’t expecting your small closet to become such a large and comfortable building for many to enjoy and relax in. There were others sitting at their respective tables, some you’ve met before, and some you haven't. There was a vacuum cleaner, a microwave, you believe one of them was even your toilet! But Volt led you to a nicer table, a VIP spot. You felt as though you didn’t deserve it but you were appreciative either way. 

Sitting down, within the minute you were given a drink that spoke to you, something right up your alley regarding taste. You don’t know how the staff knew what you wanted but it was a great surprise! As you take your first sip, Volt hops up onto the stage like he had done this a thousand times. 

“Good evening, you scofflaws and ducky whatsits!” Volt exclaims as the spotlight focuses on him and the voices quiet down just slightly. “Looks like Johnny Splash is gonna be singing for us tonight! Be warned patreons… You might get wet.” Volt adds in a sultry tone at the end. You weren’t sure what that meant if he was just making a sex joke or if it was a pun of some kind. After someone… presumably your trash boos quietly, you understand the reference as the so called “Johnny Splash” makes his entrance.

“Hi everybody. I’m Johnny Splash.” Johnny smiles out to the crowd. He looks calm and collected but as he’s speaking, you notice his hand picking at the skin on his thumb and his fingers lightly playing with the sleek shower-like fabric draped across his shoulders. Was he nervous? He didn’t seem that way. “I’ve got a song for you all tonight, one from the heart. And tonight it’ll be a cappella because my voice is the greatest instrument of them all.” 

You swirl your faintly pink straw in your drink as Johnny ready’s himself up on the stage, clearing his throat and such. He seemed confident in himself! Especially if he claimed his voice was the greatest instrument of them all. You were excited to see the talent the everyday objects in your house could produce. 

“ I keep a close wash on this shower of mine… I keep my faucets free of stains and grime..!” 

Your eyebrows raised as his voice began to ring out into the room, filling all the ears with the vocals he produced. You weren’t really expecting a voice straight from the 1960s at a club like this but you couldn’t say you were complaining. It was… charming to see a fellow musician sing his heart out on a stage! It wasn’t an easy thing to do… 

“ I scrub the grout from tile between the lines… Because you’re miine…I wash the linee…” 

You stare up at the shiny man, panting just ever so slightly. He seems proud of himself and you almost guaranteed his inner monologue was saying, ‘Yeah. I just did that.’ Your mouth slowly began to curl into a smile as you appreciated his musicality and charm. 

“That was amazing, baby. I even surprised myself.” Johnny grinned proudly. You were just about to start clapping as one should at the end of a performance; you have a very loud and strong clap in fact and have been able to be the start to an applause many times, when all of a sudden, one of the audience members starts to speak. 

“I’ve seen many bombs in my time, but that one takes the cruck-blasted cake.” The microwave spoke, Luke his name was. Your eyebrows furrow slightly with your smile faltering just a tad. You were confused, wondering what was going on and why he was saying that. 

“Oof. Even I couldn’t clean that mess.” Hoover the Vacuum cleaner added on, rubbing his neck and shaking his head slightly towards the ground. You were genuinely befuddled wondering if this was normal talk or if they were actually making fun of him? You stood up from your VIP table, walking over to the small conversation forming across the room. 

“You didn’t like it? I thought it was okay…” Johnny spoke from a slightly higher level than them due to still being on stage. Something started to churn in your stomach as you listened to Johnny’s confident voice falter from hearing all the negative comments about his performance. Before you could fully make yourself apparent in the conversation and compliment him on his singing voice, Johnny spoke up once more, his flare back. “I’ll retool it and come back with something even better! Just you wait!”

Your steps became slower as you reached your destination but it didn’t matter. Johnny was already walking towards stage left, exiting the club quietly. You stare at the door which had just closed behind him while the others chatted on. 

“I wish we had more musicians in the house, man.” Hoover mumbled before picking up his glass and chugging the rest of whatever was in there. He didn’t forget to pick up his leftover loaded fried before preparing to take his leave though. 

“Yeah, how does that guy keep getting these gigs? His singing is trash, no pun intended.” Cam the trash crossed his arms after running a hand through his hair. You didn’t know what to say to these guys. They seemed to be a bit rude, honestly… Everyone knew the unspoken rule about performing! Even if it's terrible you never mention that to the person performing unless you're their vocal coach! It was a bit baffling to hear all this and you didn’t really want to be a part of it. Luckily, it didn’t seem like you had caught any of their attention at the moment so it wouldn’t be odd if you just.. Left them be. 

You slowly backed out of the small circle of people while they mingled and went back to your table. A sip or two of your drink later left your fancy cup empty of its contents for the night, waiting to yet be filled with another liquid on a similar and mellow night like this one.

You grab ahold of your empty cup with the hopes of returning it to the bar when you see Volt standing there as well. Slowly approaching you set the glass down on the counter top and he turns his head to you, his slightly tired expression changing into one a host would wear. 

“Oh! Live wire, how did you enjoy the show?” Volt sparks but behind his eager smile is… tiredness and… embarrassment? You place your elbows on the counter like Volt was doing and give him a smile. 

“I enjoyed it a lot actually.” You mention, causing Volt’s eyebrows to rise just slightly and only for a split second. “Live music is always such a pleasure to listen to.” 

“...I am, so glad you had a good time.” Volt speaks, a millisecond pause in his phrase to accentuate his thoughts. 

“It was wonderful. I’ll surely be coming back very soon.” You smile at him which causes Volt’s expression to shift ever so subtly into something a bit more sincere. “Say… That singer up there, Johnny?” You start, fiddling with the straw in your empty glass and letting it dance against the rim with the ice cubes. 

“Ah yes, he’s quite the sight isn’t he…” Volt nodded his head slowly. “There aren’t many choices for musicians around. Sometimes we invite Rainey to come down to play her records. She’s good at getting people on their feet.” 

You nod your head at his words. You understand that there aren’t many musically inclined people around but you were getting the sense that Volt was hoping for something a little better than what Johnny delivered. “Can you… Tell me a bit about him?” You say. You don’t know why you muttered those words or what came over you but they did. Why were you so interested in this guy? 

“Tell you about Johnny?” Volt repeats as if he were making sure he heard that right. “Well… He’s a charmer. Always eager to meet a new face and… very eager to perform on stage.” It seemed like Volt didn’t really want Johnny there but maybe he was more interested in helping him out? It would make sense.. Even though folks complain about Johnny’s skillset it’s not like Volt never hired him back again. “We don’t really speak to each other much; too much distance I’m afraid. You might be able to ask Dorian about it if you’re really interested.” 

“Right, of course.” You nod your head and look back down to your drink on the counter top. “Thank you for giving me such a fun night Volt. You’re a great host.” You look back up at his expression, his eyebrows softening and his smile turning a comfortable faintness, genuine. 

“I appreciate that..” Volt mutters, looking back out at the bar. He took a moment to breathe before shaking his head slightly as if he forgot he was still talking to a patreon and not one of his dear friends. His friendly smile returned as he stood up fully, leaving space for you as well. “Well, I would continue this lovely chat but duty calls. It was delightful to have formally met you tonight.” 

“Likewise. I’ll see you soon, Volt.” You smile as you stand up from your position as well, taking small steps towards the exit. The club was emptying itself out, no one prolonging their stay. Volt waved at you as you walked backwards before you turned around to finish your night. 

You were exhausted… It seemed like the right time to head back up to your room for the night and take a snooze on Betty. Still weird to think about yeah.. But you needed sleep and the dateviators needed to recharge. 

As you walked down the hallway to get to your room, your mind began to wander a little bit. The whole experience so far had been pretty extraordinary.. You never knew there was so much life in the house without realizing it. You couldn’t help but imagine what your life would be like from now on though. You enjoyed your peace and quiet as much as you did interacting with all these new folks in your house but would you ever have that privacy again? Maybe you wouldn’t even mind it. You also wondered how you’d continue to get money. Last thing you needed was to be evicted and separated from all your new friends… But these problems seemed to have a way of fixing themselves.. Somehow. For now, all you could really focus on were the objects in your house and more specifically to that moment, getting some well-deserved rest. 

You took off the dateviator glasses and let your eyes adjust to the regular color scale of the dark. All you could see were the regular objects around the house again, exactly where you left them and where they were expected to be. 

After setting the glasses neatly on your bedside table, you began your transition into your sleepwear for the night. You slung off your shirt and tossed away your pants before digging in your dresser for a comfortable pair of pajama pants. You considered finding the matching shirt and settling in on the bed just to be modest with Betty but she had seen everything at that point. Sleeping topless was just more comfortable anyways. 

With your clothes shoved into the corner for you to pick up some other time, you softly began working yourself into the covers and blankets on your bed. They were airy and soft, immediately enveloping you in a sense of warmth (but not too warm) and comfort. With The soft breeze of the slightly cracked window and the plushies you loved surrounding you, your mind slowly started to fade into a state of nothingness and quiet. 

You slept better than ever before that night.

Chapter Text

Although your mind was fast asleep and preparing itself for the next day ahead, your eyes seemed to be disturbed by the quiet light slowly filling the room. What used to be corners of shadow and dark were now becoming a lighter shade– a clear indicator that unfortunately, the next day had already arrived. 

You grumbled quietly as you took a deep breath, your body slowly turning itself to a different side. The sheets were cold on your skin in a pleasant manner which only made you want to stay in bed for even longer. You slept so well last night… you weren’t sure you wanted that feeling to end. But the light that was so gently invading your closed eyes seemed to pry that thought further and further away from your head, a small sigh escaping your lips as you made up your mind. 

Your torso rose from the covers, your eyelids slowly revealing the glistening circles of color from underneath. You were reluctant to get out of bed and start your day but then again, you had to remind yourself that there was still a huge world full of alive objects that were waiting to be discovered.. You couldn’t lie, you were excited to continue getting to know everyone and even maybe check up on the ones you already knew. 

Your bare feet hit the wooden floors of your bedroom as you slithered out of your domain of comfort from the nighttime. You felt… fresh– refreshed , and ready to start your morning with energy and positive vibes! Well, after you cleaned yourself up and got all the grogginess out of your system first. Perhaps a meeting with the coffee maker was in order… 

You grabbed the dateviators off of the night stand but didn’t put them on just yet. You were still tired and had some messy bed hair you needed to take care of before you’d feel comfortable enough to talk to any more objects around the house. For some reason, that concept still felt like a dream itself. You supposed you’d find out for yourself if your brain made the whole thing up after waking up a bit more. 

The house was quiet and empty without the glasses filling in all that gaping space, but it was peaceful. It was how you woke up on any other day before you had even received the dateviators and it was something your eyes were quite familiar with seeing. The distant sound of moving cars, the soft sway of the curtains when the windows were cracked open a bit, and the sunlight pouring in like it was trying to drown you in it. There was always comfort in familiarity but change wasn’t something you were opposed to either. 

You made your way down the sturdy and reliable stairs, your hand lightly grazing the railing as you descended to the ground floor with the goal of making it to the kitchen. You could have sworn you were blinking like a frog.. Yeah coffee was definitely something you needed. 

With the glasses sitting snug on the countertop, you began to fix yourself a simple cup of coffee for the day. You didn’t really know how to make all different types of coffee; you mostly just used pods and called it a day, but all you really cared about in the morning was the caffeine. 

The machine whirred and delivered you a mug of the black drink within no time and you got to adding a thoughtful amount of creamer. The first sip was heavenly- it was almost as if you could taste the future of you being awake and energetic. After a deep breath and a content sigh, you were off to the bathroom to fix yourself up next with both the mug and the glasses in hand. 

You yawned as you slowly took each step towards your next destination for your morning routine and your eyebrows tried to wiggle the sleepiness out of your eyes. You weren’t quite there yet but you were getting closer to being at full energy again. 

A few moments later you were gently opening the door to the downstairs bathroom, careful not to spill your mug of coffee on anything as you made your way in. You set both the dateviators and the mug onto the counter top, your hands reaching for the hairbrush instead. Your hair had a tendency to be a bit messy and tangled in the morning but it was nothing a hard sweep of a brush couldn’t fix, although you were almost certain you shed as much as a dog would whenever you groomed yourself. 

Brushing your teeth went normal– nothing to write home about. It was just a normal morning after all. You could see your tired expression slowly lifting as your mouth swirled around minty toothpaste and as you splashed water on your face. The little things began to add up and soon enough, you were starting to look a bit more presentable for the day. You took one last deep breath before grabbing the mug of coffee again, making sure all the minty flavor had disappeared from your mouth before daring to take another sip, picking up the dateviator glasses again. Both hands worked simultaneously as your right lifted the mug up to your lips and the left slowly sliding the glasses back onto your head. The morning was perfect and the sugary taste of creamed coffee sweetly poured itself into your mouth until your ears picked up on something they weren’t expecting to hear. 

“WAAEEHHH!!! Buddily dum dum waa waaah!!!”

The sound was loud, breaking the silence in a way that took you in surprise and made you jump. Your shoulders jerked upwards and your hand somehow lost the traction it had with the mug, causing it to fall right out of your grasp and heading straight for the bathroom counter top. The mug hit the sink counter and coffee began escaping, fleeing out of its volume and onto… well, everywhere. 

Your eyes widened as hot coffee began to spill onto your torso, no fabric to save you from the spill. It wasn’t burning hot but it still stung a little bit. Despite the shock, you had enough time to take a step back so the mug didn’t land on your foot and you watched as the cup shattered into three big pieces with a few small pieces landing in various places on the floor. All you could do was stare at the mess, your eyes wide and blinking slowly. 

It was quiet now, and after a moment of staring and processing what happened, you slowly turned your head to your right, eyes gazing straight at a man you hadn’t met yet covering his mouth with his hand looking just as shocked as you were. 

No one said a word for a moment, neither wanting to say anything. During that silence, you realized that… wait, you had seen him before! And well, heard him before too. This was that Johnny fellow, wasn't he? He looked like he had just murdered someone by accident, almost terrified by his own actions. Your own wide eyes died down a touch, noting that this was definitely an accident. 

“Oh.. my grout– I apologize, I-!” Johnny spoke, his eyes scanning the coffee and glass mess on the floor and then to your chest, dripping the liquid and leaving behind some mild damage. He immediately slapped his hands over his eyes out of respect, and you covered yourself with your arms as well. “Oh goodness, you’re hurt!” Johnny yelped from behind his palms. You didn’t even have time to get any words out before you watched him drop to his knees, opening the cabinet under the sink and searching inside. His hands were feeling around for what he wanted and it only took him ten seconds or so to realize he didn’t need to have his eyes closed when he wasn’t looking directly at you. He grabbed a small towel and dunked it in the cool water of the sink current before turning around swiftly, some droplets of water landing all over. “Go on an’ put that on your chest!” 

Johnny is facing slightly to the right of you as he holds out the damp towel, his eyes glued shut and not being able to detect where you were actually standing. You reach out and gently take the towel from his hands without a word and place it on the mild burn, your teeth hissing from the sting. Johnny turns around again and faces the corner as if he put himself in time out, nervously chewing on his thumb. 

“Now I ain’t ever mean to go and do something like that!” Johnny frowned, feeling devastated that he had just caused someone else.. Pain. That was something he’d never dream of doing– not in a million years! It was beyond his morals of being a shower! “...Is it bad?” He added quietly. 

“I’m fine, really..” You say, dabbing the towel over the coffee stained skin. You had to suck in a small breath every time the towel touched your skin– it felt prickly. “You really don’t need to worry about it.” 

Johnny places his face into the palms of his hands in shame and helplessness, groaning softly. “I am so sorry- I woulda never been singin’ like that if I knew it’d been startling you..” 

Your gaze at the man’s back softened as he apologized again, feeling honestly a little bit bad that you had gotten startled by it in the first place. “No no, I just.. Didn’t expect it. I didn’t think I had activated the dateviators…” You mumbled that last part almost just for yourself to hear. You were quite certain you had not manually awakened anything. The moment those glasses were on your face it seemed like Johnny was there.. Maybe a glitch? 

Johnny was twiddling his thumbs together, still feeling ashamed of himself. This was not something his old grandpappy would be proud of, that's for sure. 

“Are you sure you’re alright..? That was lookin’ like a nasty mark. Uh-! Not that I saw anything on..uh..!” Johnny’s cheeks flared pink again, shaking his head slightly. Now normally, Johnny was a complete flirt. He loved being nonchalant and perceptive, wooing anyone with his charm. But when it came to the personal stuff? Why Johnny couldn’t even imagine stepping outta line towards anyone before knowing what was okay and what wasn’t. That in itself was another one of his charms, whether he realized it or not. 

“Yeah I’m.. I’m alright.” You respond, taking the towel away from your body and setting it on the counter. “This… Isn’t the first time I’ve spilled coffee on myself. I’ll live.” You chuckle softly, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Dang it- I sure hope so!” Johnny responds enthusiastically and worried as if there were a world where somehow you didn’t survive because of some spilled coffee. “I’d have never forgiven myself if you didn’t! …I ain’t too sure I’d forgive myself either way. I done spooked you like shampoo fallin’ from the caddy!” 

Your expression softened into that of a smile, a small waft of understanding coursing through yourself. If you had been the one to have startled someone into getting into an accident you’d honestly feel the same, no matter how many times they tell you it’s okay. 

Instead of blabbering on and on about how you were A-okay, you quickly shoved on a shirt that was laying on the ground from a night or two before and gave his shoulder a tap, causing his head to whip over fast. He must have thought you needed assistance or were still hurting too bad but you just looked at him with a patient smile. 

“Well I forgive you, alright? And if you don’t forgive yourself soon then me and you are gonna have some problems.” You smile, mocking seriousness. His ashamed dreadful expression eased just slightly as he stared at you, a small huff coming out of his lips after a moment. 

“Heh.. Well I wouldn’ want that to happen…” Johnny stared sheepishly at the floor, turning around to face your properly and no longer shielding his eyes with his hands. “Suppose I have to forgive myself now.” 

“You supposed right.” You smiled softly before clearing your throat quietly and beginning to think of introductions. This was technically meeting a new object so you should treat this interaction like any other. “So what was that you were singing before?” 

Johnny’s eyes just about sparkled when you asked him that question, a grin appearing on his face. “Why, that was some of my fine improvisational a cappella guitar playing! I’m practicing for the stage- they’re gonna love it, I just know it!” 

You figured he was speaking of the stage in the breaker box club where he had performed the other night. Now, figuring it was improv was easy to believe but you didn’t know he was imitating a guitar! Especially since you’d imagine a vocal guitar to have more ‘zms’ and ‘vms’ sounds and not ‘WAH!’ 

“You convinced me! When’s your next performance?” You ask, genuinely interested. 

“Tomarra night at eight! Were you thinkin’ of goin’?” Johnny spoke as if all that mess they had just lived through was long in the past which is a good thing you suppose. You were glad he wasn’t beating himself up over it. 

“Perfect, I’ll be there.” You gave him a bright smile and you could see him light up just as much if not more than you. 

“Well I’m mighty thankful for that!” Johnny grinned before scooping your right hand into both of his, shaking it profusely. “I’m Johnny Splash! Pleasure to be meeting you.” 

You chuckle as he finishes up his enthusiastic handshake and nod your head, telling him your name in return and watching him say it a few times to see if it rolls off the tongue well. After repeating it three or so times he gives a nod and a more.. Charming smile.

“That’s a damn good name for you. Hope I’ll get the chance to hear it more often.” 

“I think your chances are pretty high.” You smile, the air around you now lighter and the mess from before feeling like a distant memory. Well, it wouldn’t feel like a memory when you have to clean it up but that’s besides the point. 

You look from Johnny’s gleaming face back down to the glass and drink on the floor. It would be dangerous to leave that there so maybe you oughta clean it up now. You wouldn’t want any unsuspecting objects to fall victim to stepping on glass. 

“Say… Why don’t you be in charge of the tunes while I go clean this up?” You say after a moment. Johnny’s eyebrows raised but his smile did not falter. 

“Of course! But I can’t allow you to do all the work. You understand.” Johnny smiles cockily, making you let out a small playful scoff and a shake of your head. 

After you left to go grab a dustpan and brush, the two of you got to work with ample speed. You swept the glass with the brush while Johnny held the pan, closing his eyes and humming a tune. It was pleasant to fill the sound of glass moving across the floor- making the cleaning experience go by just a little bit quicker and a little bit more enjoyable. 

“They gave him his odors at Monroe, Virginia. They said ‘Steam you’re way below temp. This is not 38, this is 97 degrees! You need a soap dispenser next time.” 

Johnny’s voice began to ring out, not professional singing by any means but you liked it. It had its own charm to it, one only a shower could bring. You found yourself smiling down at the floor as you brushed the glass into the pan and as Johnny emptied it into the small trash bin nearby. 

“Then he turned his knob around to his big greasy human, ‘Hey, stream a little more cool.’ And when we pay that white water check, watch old 97 pool!” 

You were almost finished cleaning up, the time passing faster than cleaning up should feel. All the glass was off the floor and put somewhere safe and the coffee was just about nearly soaked up. Johnny finished his song just as you stood up to place the coffee tattered towel on the sink handle. 

“I must say, that was quite the worthy performance! Can’t believe I sang that here and not on stage..” Johnny hummed as you patted your hands together to indicate a finished job. 

“You should sing it up there! I thought it was great.” You grin as you place a hand on your hip. 

“That’s jus’ cause I had such a worthy audience.” Johnny wiggled his eyebrows that got you both to let out a laugh. It was nice looking around your bathroom- somehow it looked even cleaner than when you had first walked in that morning. You were grateful Johnny decided to help clean everything up with you. 

“Well hey, Johnny, thanks for helping me with all this. You didn’t have to.” 

“Are you kiddin’? That was more fun than swirlin’ your shedded hair on the shower walls! It’s been a while since I had the honor to host company for anyone.” You nod along, only realizing what he said about your hair a few seconds after he said it. You cover your mouth with your hand for no particular reason. it was a little embarrassing but you were also hiding your smile underneath. It just wasn’t something you were expecting to hear. 

“I’ll definitely be your company more from now on then. That is, if you’ll keep having me.” 

“Oh, biscuits and crumbs- of course! Come by anytime, anytime at all!” Johnny nods his head, happy to hear that you’ll be stopping by more often from this point forward. 

“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll see you at your gig tomorrow!” You smile, picking up the small bag of glass and waving with your other hand. 

“I’ll perform extra nice for ya! See you then!” 

You walk out of the bathroom more happy than you’d think breaking a coffee mug would make you feel. It was nice seeing that singer from the night before and actually getting to know him just a little bit better. It just reminded you that there were so many cool and interesting individuals out there in this home for you to meet and talk to! 

You reached the kitchen where you had stopped earlier that morning with the small bag of glass in hand, walking over to the trash bin. Objects being alive was still a crazy concept and the fact that your trash had just grown into a man with his hand held out was just a reminder that this was your life now. Better get used to it, huh? 

“What’s this.” Cam spoke in a monotone voice, taking the bag from your hand without you being able to get a word in first. “Glass? What, did’ja have an accident or somethin’?” 

“Uh, yeah. You could say that.” You speak, your eyes darting towards the nearest wall just reliving the event in your head with Johnny. It was pretty funny how that worked out now that you're thinking about it. 

“Hm. Good stuff. Thanks.”