Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Hector knew he was emotional. He would use other words for it, he was a wordsmith if nothing else, but at the end of the day many would call it emotional. Perhaps that is why, during the first winter the human was living in this house, he became so jealous when they chose Johnny to warm them up.

He heated the house to the perfect temperature, just to show his love, his care, his control. And yet they still shivered, and despite the fact they had showered already that day, they got in again and turned the heat up as far as their body could handle. And what made matters worse, Johnny was happy about it! Johnny's job was to keep the human clean, it was Hector's job to keep them warm! What did Johnny have that he didn't? Many things, but it should have never crossed over into their purposes.

Perhaps that is why he began to watch the man. It wasn't often at first, just when the human was asleep, or reading at an angle where he could not read beside them, or in the bathroom. He just needed to know more about the man he had ignored up until now. He was honestly happy he had ignored him up until now, as his ears were in pain at the way Johnny sung. Hector didn't have a sweet voice, and hated how soft Johnny's was when he spoke, so it was almost a delight that it was all ruined when it come to his joy.

Throughout the months, Hector would use his spare time to watch Johnny, just trying to figure the man out. Had the human been able to see them, Hector knew he would have the upper hand for their heart as long as he remained unseen. Johnny was pretty, but was otherwise undesirable, with his voice and his ego. Hector was rather happy with that fact, up until he made the mistake of making a satisfied noise as Johnny started some more of his horrible singing.

Hector hadn't even thought on it when he made the noise, but it was when Johnny's eyes immediately found the grate he was looking at him from that he froze, even the air he was pushing into the bathroom stopping. He thought about crawling away, but Johnny began to speak.

"There is my biggest fan!" he called, confusing the air vent.

"Your-your biggest fan?" Hector asked. He would have rather remained unseen, but if Johnny considered him his biggest fan, he must have been obvious in his watching.

Johnny beamed up at him. Even as a tall man, the air vent was higher. Hector was able to appropriately look down on him, something a fan wouldn't do. Fantina always preferred her smaller forms. "Yes! And so far my only," Johnny answered. "You're as sweet as sugar, always coming around when I am singing. Been giving me the confidence to keep going even when others say I should stop. I gotta appreciate how dedicated you are."

Hector played with his hands awkwardly. The narrative that Johnny was making in his head wasn't anywhere near close to reality. The reality was that Johnny was trying to take his job from him, and he wanted to see why the human let him do so. Where did Johnny's singing skill come into play anywhere? "I watch for many reasons," he ended up saying. He would rather not be mean to Johnny. He was not above being mean, but this was not the kind of situation where he wanted to aggravate him.

Johnny nodded at his words. "You're a real doll. I wanted to talk to you before, but you were always so silent in those vents of yours, so I waited until I could hear you. You can always just come up and talk to me, don't have to be silent all the time. Say, next time you come over and listen to me sing, just strike up a conversation, alright?"

There wasn't much else to do now that Hector had been caught. "I will do that," he answered before quickly retreating from the conversation and back into the attic. There were too many thoughts going on in his head. He did not like to be perceived for more than he was, a needed and powerful presence. He was not a fan of things, or people, and certainly not Johnny. Still, he couldn't just stop visiting him. There was still more to be learned, and it was better to deal with it now than upset Johnny and have him try harder to upset Hector back.

So, when the human was taking a nap (perfectly warmed by Hector and not by the use of any blankets), Hector returned to the downstairs bathroom and tapped on the grate to let Johnny know of his presence. Johnny immediately heard and moved over to him. Luckily, just like last time, all other lower bathroom occupants were gone.

"Hector! You came back!" Johnny called as he gazed up at Hector.

"It wouldn't have been nice if I didn't," he answered. He could have been not nice, but Johnny was lucky enough he chose against it.

Johnny looked away bashfully. "Not too used to people choosing the nicest option. No one's ever willingly listened to me once, let alone keep coming back for me." Hector felt the air he controlled cool for just a moment before he got it back to its correct temperature. That was strangely upsetting for him.

"But you are a shower, you are needed every day," Hector tried to reason. Was that not enough?

Johnny gave a sad smile. "But that's my use, not who I am. And besides, that ain't much. Tell me, do you know how long the average person showers?"

"12 minutes," Hector supplied. He asked Mac to see if the human was spending too much time around Johnny.

Johnny lit up slightly at Hector knowing. "That is 12 minutes a day I am needed, and then no one wants me for the rest of the day. Can you see why I am so excited at finally having a fan?" Hector frowned for a moment. He had been so sure that Johnny was happy that the human was using him because he wanted the human's time specifically, but it seemed that the truth was closer to him wanting attention.

"I can lower or raise the temperature for you." It was a ridiculous offer, one he had been against just moments before. "The human will use you to gain their heat or cool then." Was he really so willing to rid himself of his purpose for Johnny? It was just an hour or two he would do so, but he was not one to throw away his power.

Johnny's expression softened at his words. "You really are sweet as pie, but that's not what I want. I want to be seen as a person, not just a shower. If you want to help me, just keep coming by." The complete disregard for his purpose confused Hector, but he wasn't going to argue with Johnny. He didn't even want to, oddly enough.

"I will. I promise." He has no idea what he is getting into, but for once he understands why the human turns to Johnny at times rather than him. It certainly is hard to resist him.

Hector began visiting Johnny far more often. It was strange how he quickly began to balance his job of caring for the human with his social life, as he often thought of them as one. He spent far more time than he ever planned just talking to Johnny. He couldn't say he disliked it though. The way Johnny lit up whenever he arrived, and would struggle to stop talking when it was eventually time for Hector to focus on other things, it made Hector feel powerful in a way he had only ever felt in regards to his air circulation. It made him feel wanted.

He could not describe how it had changed so drastically, even if he was quite good at describing things, but it had happened anyway. No longer was the highlight of his day helping the human, but rather the conversations he would have with Johnny, long and bountiful enough that he rarely ever saw the other bathroom occupants for more than a few moments after he arrived. Their time was only for them. It felt nice.

Over the next few months, their bond grew and grew, and they both changed with it. Johnny was still a lover of singing at heart, but his songs became more focused. Not better, although Hector did find himself enjoying a few of them from time to time, but where he originally sang about anything and everything, a lot more of his songs began to focus on love, and connection. Hector would never say it was because of him, but he hoped that it was because he was giving him more hope in finding others who cared for Johnny the way he did. Hector changed as well, in ways that left a pit in his stomach. It was a slow process, of how his attention became less and less focused on the human, and more focused on Johnny. He still did his job, and gained immense satisfaction from it, but they were no longer the prime feature of his thoughts. Johnny was.

Everyday, Hector would look forward to seeing Johnny, to using his power to care for and keep the mold away from his object's surface. Even his writings began to closer resemble Johnny than the human. It would have been more embarrassing had it not been so infuriating. He enjoyed his time with Johnny, but love should have been the last way this ended up. How was he meant to move forward being in love with his friend? It was easy to be in love from a distance, where all you could do was yearn, but when action was a possibility, it ate up at his heart in a far less satisfying way.

And yet he still never failed to appear to Johnny. He tapped on his grate once again, alerting Johnny of his presence. They were once again alone, the others often trying to spend time elsewhere in the house rather than deal with the two of them.

"Doll!" the man shouted as he stood in front of the grate.

"Doll?" Hector repeated. He had heard Johnny call him such before, but it was never so direct before. "I am an air vent, not a doll."

Johnny laughed. "I ain't that stupid, Doll. I've decided to call you it cause you're real charming." Johnny tilted his head. "I can stop if you don't like it?"

Hector felt his body flush. It was embarrassing how he struggled to keep control of the temperature when around Johnny. "I don't mind it. You are very sweet." He had never been called charming before. Johnny was charming, and he wasn't anything like Johnny.

Johnny smiled at him again. "I am real sweet on you. Best company I've ever had." It didn't take long for his face to fall again. "Wish I could have you around more often. Gets real lonely when you're not here." As much time as Hector liked to spend with Johnny, when inside the vents, he didn't have as much control as when he was outside, and had to move about the house.

"I would be here more if I could," Hector admitted. "I am," he hesitated, "sweet on you as well." He truthfully had no idea what the term meant, and would have to ask Mac or Lyric for a definition, but if Johnny was using it for him, it must have been something sweet.

Johnny blushed at the words. Was it something romantic, or was Johnny as easy to get to as he was? Johnny swiped his hair to the side in an attempt to soothe himself. "Speaking of you being around, I have a question that's been gnawing on my brain like a hound dog."

Hector tilted his head and clasped his hands together. "Do go on," he urged. He was intrigued to know what he was thinking, as Johnny was ever so honest and rarely kept thoughts to himself.

Johnny fidgeted with his shower head slightly. "You're always visiting me in the bathroom, and I've heard around that you are trapped in that attic. I don't know how it would get unlocked, but if it were, would I be free to visit you there?" His words were more uncertain than anything Johnny usually said.

Hector gripped the edges of his vent. Why did it have to be that question? He would have answered any other question with full honesty, but never this question. "That is… difficult to say." He tried to force words out, but they simply wouldn't leave his throat.

Johnny didn't look upset though. "Listen, Doll, I don't mind what we have here, if you don't want me to see you, I can live with that." He began to look rather bashful. "But one day I will make it big, and I want to see you in the front row of the show. As romantic as it would be to see you for the first time there, I really would like to see your face in private first." It was hard to tell if Johnny's blush was from his own words or a byproduct of the way he made Hector heat the room.

"Romantic," Hector mimicked. So it was reciprocated. That made it both a lot easier and a lot harder.

Johnny attempted to backtrack. "It don't gotta be! I'm just happy to have you as a friend, and then it spiraled a bit, and now I'm making a fool out of myself!"

Hector was quick to calm Johnny down. "I am not used to having my feelings reciprocated is all." The words caused Johnny to pause, looking up at him with a blush. He clasped his hands again. "I will warn you that I am, how do I say this? Not pleasant to look at. I fear I may not be what you are expecting." It was best to get it out of the way now.

Johnny grinned up at him. "I am expecting nothing! I've got barely any ability to imagine physical things, so I am just working with what I got." Hector was still thinking over the words when Johnny made the decision to stand on the toilet, bringing him to his level. Hector made noises he would later be embarrassed on as Johnny pulled part his hands and held them. "Besides, there is no way you aren't as pretty as a peach. And even if you somehow aren't, looks ain't that important."

Hector had half the mind to shoo him off the toilet with threats that Jean Loo would come back and be angry at them, but being able to touch Johnny like this was making him overheat. "You will not be saying that when you see me," he murmured.

"You're right," Johnny answered. "I will be saying how I was right, about just how much of a Doll you are." Johnny then grinned, in a way that felt far too mischievous for how Johnny usually acted. "Besides, if you are open to meeting me, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"I did say I would let you, didn't I?" He hadn't even realised it. It wouldn't happen for a long time, even he didn't know where the human had put the key, but he couldn't exactly lie and say that the idea of meeting face to face didn't excite him to some extent. "I am not ready now," he firmly stated. "But one day, I will give you permission. Do not seek me out beforehand. You decided when we would talk here, so I decide when I am ready to take the next step.

The way Johnny looked at him was the kind of look he would spend hours attempting to write about. Usually on Johnny in his latest works. "Wouldn't dream of rushing you, so you take all the time you need. I'll be waiting, so as long as you don't shy from staying here with me while you can, I have no arguments."

Hector was about to give a reply, but Johnny then decided to lift one of Hector's hands, bringing it to his mouth. His brain almost stopped working the moment that Johnny's soft lips hit the back of his hand. He did not deserve the affections that Johnny gave him.

Johnny pulled away with a smile on his face. "Until I can kiss your lips," he explained.

"That is," he struggled to find his next words, "More than enough for a lifetime. I do not know how I will handle having you by my side." He had already gained more than he ever believed possible for him.

"We'll figure it out together," Johnny spoke. They would, Hector decided. He wasn't letting Johnny go.

They talked for a while more, before Hector had to say goodbye and return back to the attic. As he crawled out of the vents, the day's events hit him. Johnny was in love with him, had gotten him to accept meeting him face to face, and had kissed his hand. He looked down at the hand Johnny had kissed, and raised it to his face, placing his lips on the same area that Johnny had kissed before his body temperature rose dramatically and he covered his face. He was never going to be able to go back, he was trapped in the cycle of yearning once again. But Johnny was too, and he had never said no to unrequited yearning before, so he wasn't going to now.

Chapter Text

The objects had become rather attached to their human, and their human had become attached to them. Although they would prefer them more attached, so they didn't keep leaving all the time. They were well aware that their human had a life outside the house, but they were always so unwilling to talk about it. It was unnerving to be unsure of what happened when they were outside the house. It certainly didn't help when they brought things, or a person, back.

Dorian stood guard, watching out his window to see if the human was coming home soon. It would be his job as always to greet them the moment they put their dateviators back on, and he would try and fail to get information out of them about what they did when not in the home. He waited, and waited, and soon he saw their car drive into the driveway. He watched as they got out, but soon became confused as he saw the other door to the car open as well, revealing a woman who was smiling at something their human said. He frowned. They had never mentioned having any relations with people outside of the home before. How recent of a friendship was this?

Before Dorian could think on it all much longer, they arrived at the door and he allowed himself to be opened. They slipped inside, and the human immediately glanced at the drawer where they were keeping the dateviators. They turned back to their friend. "Sam, toilet is second door in this hall. I need to do something real quick." Sam gave a reply and left them alone.

The human quickly took the dateviators out of the drawer and put them on, turning to look at Dorian. "Hope you guys don't mind meeting Sam. Finally felt comfortable inviting her over."

He had no idea what Sam was currently doing in the bathroom, never wanting to turn and look the other way as that door, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about her. He was all for making friends, but it was impossible to make friends with someone that didn't know you existed, so he let that unease fester slightly into a question. "What's the deal with her?" He wanted to know if this was friendship, or if the human was opening themself up to being hurt.

The human pursed their lips. "It's complicated," was all they said. So they were at risk of getting their heart broken. Poor thing. They seemed to have no idea that they were opening themself up to be hurt and just stared at Dorian again. "So, think the others will like her?"

Dorian saw no use in lying. "Can't say much for the others, but I will be keeping an eye on her."

~

Everyone knew of Sam in the matter of weeks. Betty was one of the objects that had gotten a good look at her. Gorgeous, and from limited sample size, the human's type. Betty almost hoped they were bringing her around just to make her jealous, but it wasn't always the bedroom they hung out in, and she soon gave up on the idea.

This night however, they were spending time in the bedroom. Sam had arrived that day holding a bag full of clothes and such, and Betty soon realised that Sam planned to spend the night. The human truly loved to tease her. She wanted to tell them they didn't need to, but they were still talking to Sam and watching a movie together on Sam's laptop.

Betty was left waiting until the movie ended and the laptop was shut. Sam got off the bed and grabbed her clothes. "I'm gonna take a bath, have fun without me," she answered before entering the bathroom. The human then dipped into the bedside table and picked up the dateviators, putting them on.

They looked over at Betty. "We aren't too heavy, right? You're used to me, but I'm not too sure if you've had two people before."

Betty bit her lip and smiled. "I've had two at once, and more at once. You are Sam aren't going to break me, feel free to be a bit more rough." She loved the way the human blushed at her words. She couldn't help but tease. "And even if I'm not truly invited, I won't say no to watching." As long as they were on her, she would enjoy.

The human continued to blush. "It's not like that! We don't plan to have sex, Sam is just staying the night!" Betty was almost sad, but she decided that having the human to herself was more enjoyable a thought.

Betty moved in and leaned up against the human, her breasts pressing up against their arm. "Passion takes us all at strange times, but if you want practice before she ravishes you, I am always willing to have you." She would rather have them than tease them for their lover, but it was all she could have for now.

~

Skips looked over the human and Sam as they slept, sharing a bed. The first time had been bad enough, but this had become a regular occurrence. Usually, when the night was at its darkest, the human would visit him, but now, whenever Sam was around, they would be fast asleep. It was never more than once every few weeks, and they always warned him the day before, but it hurt nonetheless.

He flinched as he saw them shift and wake, pulling themself out of the covers and staring at the darkest point of their room, where Skips was sitting. They got out of bed and put their dateviators on, walking over and sitting beside Skips. "Lonely?" they asked, leaning against Skips in all their tiredness.

"Yes," he answered. They knew him well enough for that, even if they couldn't guess the feelings he had for them. "You invite Sam over a lot. Where did you meet her?" It would be rude to just pin the loneliness on Sam.

The human smiled. "Online actually. While I don't know what your chatroom was like, Thiscord has been great for me and her." His mind flickers back to LunarKnight. Was their relationship the same as his with LunarKnight? It sounded like it was.

Skips nodded, trying to look happy before giving up. "Do you like her more than me?" The words sounded whiny, and yet he couldn't think of a way to make it sound any better. He just wanted a straight answer.

The human looked over at him. "I like you both in your own special way. Just because my love for her is different than my love for you doesn't make it more." His heart both ached and soared. They wouldn't abandon him, even if they were in love with Sam. Maybe he could still have them even if they loved Sam, surely humans weren't as monogamous as they looked.

Skips leaned onto their shoulder. "I like you in your own special way too. You won't leave me." He could settle for this.

The human smiled. "Never. And I promise soon you will have another friend." They looked over at Sam as they spoke. Sam was going to move in? He tried to keep the darkness in his heart at bay. He could deal with this. He said he could deal with this. The human wasn't going to abandon him, even if they did have less time for him. They promised, and he loved them enough to believe them.

~

Sam didn't always come in when they were around, Wyndolyn soon noticed. Sometimes she would simply stand at the street for a few minutes as they talked, before saying goodbye (or at least what she assumed were goodbyes) before letting the human go home. Wyndolyn was proud of the human for getting out of the house and dating, she really was, but hear the other objects worry enough and it starts to affect her as well. Everyone needs to make a few mistakes, but the mistake had been done, and it was time the human realise they could do better than Sam. She was quite attached to the idea of them choosing one of the objects.

The human entered the room, and with the dateviators on, she got their attention as they walked past her. "You won't believe what I saw today," she started. Sam had stuck around for a few minutes after the human entered the house, and Wyndolyn was shocked at what she had seen, and so soon after the human had been with her!

The human sat on the large windowsill with her. "Tell me all about it," they spoke with a smile. They would not be smiling soon, and Wyndolyn almost felt bad for the truth she was going to admit.

"Sam is having an affair with our neighbour," she pushed out. Oh, as much as helping was useful, it was so horrible to say. The human blinked at her blankly, and she continued. "I saw it myself. She went over to the neighbour's, and she went inside! And when she left, she was smiling!" She placed a hand on the human's shoulder. "I'm sorry I am the one who had to tell you this." But she cared for their human, who always listened to whatever she had to say no matter what window she was at, and so she had to hurt them to help them.

A few moments passed, and soon the human burst into laughter, confusing Wyndolyn. "Is this hysteria? Is this that shocking? Oh, I knew I should have thought about my words more!"

The human lifted their hand to get her to stop talking as they collected themself. "I told her to go and talk to them." Now it was Wyndolyn's turn to blink blankly. "She had a tear in her clothes and they can sew. They told me I can get their help whenever I need so I wanted to see if it extended to Sam. Good to see that I was correct."

"Oh," was all Wyndolyn managed for a few moments. She was rather embarrassed now. "Are you sure she isn't sleeping with them?"

The human snickered again. "I wouldn't care if she did. They'd be good for her." Wyndolyn settled down. She had assumed the human was monogamous, as most humans were, but perhaps they were more like an object than she originally thought. She smiled at the fact.

"It's good to see you getting out there, even if I don't entirely trust her," she answered. The human tilted their head, but the conversation moved away from Sam soon after.

~

Hector watched as Sam put on another layer of the human's clothes. He was trying to get them out of the house by making it too cold, but she would not leave. He should feel worse, but the human was not here to suffer. Eventually Sam groaned and took our her phone, tapping away before leaving the house. He smiled at his efforts.

Half an hour later, the human was finally back, and they immediately visited him. "Hector," they whined. "Sam told me it was way too cold in here. Did you happen to have anything to do with that?" they asked.

He clasped his hands and avoided their eyes. "It must have been a malfunction."

Even when avoided their eyes, he could see how they frowned at him. "Sam was just waiting for the bus to be closer to coming. It wasn't nice to lower the temperature on her, especially that much. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" He loved them so dearly, but oh how he hated it when they used his love against them. He wished they had less control over him just by using their sweet voice.

"I wouldn't. Never to you," he answered.

"So don't do that to Sam. She means a lot to me, and it wouldn't do any good to scare her away. I have plans and she needs to be comfortable in this house for those plans to work," the human explained. His heart clenched at the sound of what they were saying. Even with all of his devotion, he couldn't be the man they needed.

"I understand," he spoke despite everything. "I will keep the temperature at an acceptable level." Their smile was enough to wash away many of the pains he felt. As long as he did his job, he got their smile, and he would have to be okay with just that even after being allowed to speak to them. If Sam moved in, which was only a matter of time as he heard being gossiped around the house, there would be very few chances for the human to talk to any of them again.

"Thank you," they answered. "If you just give her a chance, I am sure you will grow to like Sam. It would mean a lot to me if you tried, but I won't ask any more from you. Keeping her warm and cold when needed is enough." How divine the human was, so kind.

"I am not sure if I could grow to like her," he began. In the end, she was taking the human from him. From all of them technically, but he didn't care about most others. "But if that is what you want from me, I will try."

No amount of smiles from them could fix the pain that drove through his heart at the idea of losing them forever. Oh how he hoped they broke up like they did in all his latest stories.

~

Y/N sighed as they entered the Breaker Box. It had been a long week, with Sam staying almost every night and the objects becoming weirder and weirder. It seemed like no matter how often she was around, they never got used to her. They didn't know how they would tell her that the objects didn't like her, so they planned to instead get drunk and try and figure things out. One idea would hopefully come from that.

They quickly found Eddie and Volt talking at the bar and went to join them. Eddie was always a little stiff with them, and Volt never changed from his usual charming attitude, so it was a nice break from the rest of what they were dealing with.

"Hey," they spoke as they sat down at the bar. The two stopped their conversation and looked over at them, varying degrees of smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Livewire," Eddie spoke blankly, moving to get them their usual drink.

Volt leaned on the bar. "Livewire, how lovely of you to join us tonight! You haven't been popping in as much as of late," he spoke. It was unfortunately true. With all the time they were spending trying to get the objects assimilated to Sam, the actual talking to objects fell to the wayside. "You almost missed our sale."

Y/N tilted their head and chuckled. "Wouldn't have meant much, you've never made me pay." A luxury of being the house owner. "What sale was I about to miss out on?"

"Lovers' sale," Eddie answered as he placed their drink in front of them. "Volt's idea."

That piqued Y/N's interest. "A lovers' sale?"

Volt happily explained. "Bring a lover, or lovers, and you all get drinks at half price. Thought it would be a good idea to try and make the club a bit of a date spot. It is working well so far." Y/N looked around, and they were right. Couples and polycules were dotted around the place in ways they hadn't seen before.

They turned back to the two. "Good job on the marketing, almost wish I could take advantage of it. But even if you two did make me pay, couldn't exactly do that." Even with all these eligible objects at their disposal, they had remained single, whether they wanted to or not.

Eddie nodded along to their words. "Yeah, not like you can bring Sam here."

Y/N couldn't help but laugh. "Oh come on, have some faith in me. I wouldn't lie about having a partner just to get a discount." Sam would, but that was another topic. They looked at the two, expecting some laughs back, but were instead met with confused looks. "You really think I would do that?"

Volt shook his head. "No, not at all. It's just," he hesitated. "Are you not dating Sam?"

Those words hit Y/N. Dating Sam? She had told them about the old crush she used to have on them, but since then their relationship was strictly platonic. "Where did you get that idea from?" they immediately asked.

Eddie shrugged. "Everywhere? I don't think there is a single object in this house who doesn't think you two are dating." How hadn't they heard of this?! Well, it's not like they were often talking to their objects these days, but still!

"Everyone?" they repeated.

"Everyone," Volt answered with a nod.

Y/N looked out across the club again. Almost everyone was here. They had some gossip to straighten out. "I'm gonna use the mic," they spoke, and were up before either could give a complaint.

They walked over, and stepped onto stage. With a tap to the mic, everyone's attention was on them. "Uh, hi. I am the homeowner, and I don't have a song for you today, but rather a statement." They should have taken public speaking in highschool, they had no idea what they were doing. Everyone's eyes were on them, waiting for the statement. "So, I have heard that people are saying Sam is my girlfriend, so I am here to inform you that she is not, and that I have no idea how that rumour started."

The noise broke out immediately. Questions and statements and confusion were flung their way, and it took Volt stepping onto stage with them to calm them down. Despite this, Volt let them explain on their own, and stepped away. They stared at the crowd again, and soon Cam spoke, this time alone.

"What was all that shit about how everyone better like Sam? Sounds like moving in behavior." It was with that question that everything they did hit them. Saying it was complicated, and that they will need to get used to Sam, and that they were incredibly important. How did Y/N not see it before?

"I admit, that is entirely my fault," they answered, waiting a few moments before speaking again. "The reason I was acting the way I did was because Sam knows about the dateviators." Gasps filled the room. "She wanted to meet you all, and I decided that it was best to get you used to her before I let her start wearing the dateviators sometimes. I just wanted you to be comfortable with her before she began speaking to you."

Voices filled the air once again, and over it all they could hear 'Does this mean you're single?' coming from Hank 3. That was a question they could answer. "I don't have feelings for her, nor any other human. You don't have to worry about me inviting someone into this home who you can't trust. I need you to trust me on that."

It was another fifteen minutes before everyone accepted the explanation, and Y/N moved back to the bar as Johnny began to sing again, downing their abandoned drink the moment they sat down.

"Brave of you up there," Eddie spoke as they placed their head on the bar.

"Why did no one tell me?" they groaned. It would have been much easier to stop had they known earlier.

Eddie was quiet for a moment. "I think a lot of them only wanted to silently acknowledge it. Many of us have become possessive of you in a way. Maybe they thought if they didn't say it, you wouldn't move Sam in."

Y/N looked up slightly. "I'm not going to stop talking to any of you. What's been happening was a mistake, and I will be honest to everyone. I won't let Sam being around make things hard on us, but that means you have to accept that Sam is a part of my life."

Eddie looked away. "I don't need to know that," he defended.

Y/N just smiled. They had heard the way he sounded proud when saying Sam couldn't enter the Breaker Box. They could continue this conversation another time, but for now, they were done.

~

Y/N was driving back to their house with Sam. "Wanna hear something funny?" they asked to fill the time.

"Ask away," Sam responded, eager to know.

"The dateables thought you were my girlfriend." After a few days, it became a rather funny thing, the confusion slipping away.

"No way!" Sam shouted. "How did that happen?"

"Long story, I can tell you another time." Sam groaned, but Y/N pushed on. "But I have some more news."

"Is this one also something you're not gonna explain?" she teased.

Y/N rolled their eyes. "No. But I am allowing you to wear the dateables now."

The scream that erupted from Sam almost made them stop the car. "Oh my god! Really?!?

Y/N smiled at their friend. "Yep, the dateables officially like you enough to leave a good impression when you talk to them." After a bit, they had finally started to warm up once they knew the truth.

"Finally!" Sam cried. "I knew I was easy to love."

One day Y/N would tell her the struggles they went through trying to get to this point if the objects didn't tell her first, but that was not today. For now, they would just get to enjoy the fact that their sweet, loveable objects could meet their best friend truly.