Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You park your car in front of your new house. Probably the only downside to your new place was that it didn't come with a garage, but it was a small con compared to its multiple pros. You still couldn't believe your luck. Your new home is a huge two-story house, complete with its own office space, an attic for storage, and is fully furnished. You might as well have won the lottery with how much money you’re able to save on this house.
​
~~~~~~~~~~

It was two weeks ago when you were browsing through listings for a new house. At the time, you were renting a small one-room apartment by yourself and had been laid off from your previous job. Not because you were terrible at your job, quite the opposite. You were a hard-working employee. Sadly, the company began to lose money and had to lay off employees in order to cut costs. Unfortunately, you were one of those employees. Without a job, you had become more of a shut-in than you already were, staying in your room constantly on your computer and searching for a new job.
​
After being locked in your apartment for weeks, only leaving to buy groceries, and receiving multiple rejected applications, you had decided you needed a change of scenery.

“You need to get out of that apartment and talk to literally anyone, other than your furniture.” Your friend, Sam, joked.

You saved enough money to move to another small place, so finding the listing for your new house was like an answer to your prayers. You had messaged the homeowner, and the conversation was very mundane. You didn’t see any red flags that this person was dangerous or that they were going to scam you. You asked a few questions, they answered, exchanged information, and planned to meet, so you could see the house for yourself.
​
When you first arrived at the address, it looked even bigger in person. You walked up the steps and stood in front of the door. You were a little cautious meeting a stranger online, and made sure to text Sam about your plan, sending pictures and the address of the house, in case anything went wrong. You took a breath and raised your hand into a fist, ready to knock on the door, but stopped when you noticed a door knocker. As you release a sigh, you redirect your action and use the door knocker. When the homeowner opened the door, they politely greeted you and let you in. As soon as the homeowner began their tour of the house, you immediately fell in love.
​
The house had tons of character and was filled with objects you weren’t expecting. The living room had a sofa and chairs, a flatscreen TV, a gaming console with multiple games, and a fireplace. There was a blanket sprawled on one of the chairs, making you imagine how cozy winter nights would be huddled under it with the fireplace lit up, while you watched a movie or played a game.

You brush your hand on the blanket as you pass by, and you smile. It was soft. However, you didn’t have much time to fully take in the room, as the homeowner quickly moved on to the next room and left you behind. As you caught up, you noticed one final thing in the room: on top of the fireplace mantle was a cute little ship in a bottle.
​
Walking into the patio, the first thing you saw was an elegant grand piano. It sat in the middle and was the clear star of the room, taking up most of the space. You weren’t much of a piano player, but maybe having this piano will inspire you to want to learn. When asked about the piano, they only say it was a hand-me-down. Two other interesting things you noticed were a magnifying glass on display and a globe sitting on the corner of the room. Again, as you passed by the globe, you decided to brush your hand against it, and it began to spin lightly. The homeowner moves onto the next room, not even acknowledging the magnifying glass.
​
Moving into the living room, it contained a dining table and chairs with a beautiful candle on top (“A knock off from New Jersey,” they comment), and a record player by the window. You weren’t able to comment on the record player before the homeowner was in the next room. It was starting to get a little suspicious. Why had they been in such a rush to get the tour over with? You decided to ignore it for now.
​
The kitchen was something you were particularly excited about. It had a large space and contained so many essentials for cooking and dining, so you wouldn’t have to bring or buy your own. You could see some of the plates and cups through the glass of the cabinets; they looked exquisite. You see, on top of the counters was a microwave, a toaster, a cookbook, and even an air fryer. There was a stove that also served as an oven, a huge fridge, and a dishwasher. You see a coffee maker and think about how you were excited to make coffee that wasn’t instant (not that there was anything wrong with instant coffee, but it was a nice change). Your apartment room only had a microwave, so if you ever wanted to cook, you had to cook in the shared apartment kitchen.

Seeing all of the equipment before you was almost overwhelming. So many possibilities for you to cook have opened up. There was also a minibar in one corner of the room, and you wondered how often you would be able to make use of it.
​
After this, you two begin to breeze through the other rooms on the first floor.

There was a bathroom with all the usual things: a shower, toilet, and a mirror hanging above the sink. The laundry room had a nice woven hamper, a washing machine, and a dryer that were stacked on top of one another, which you found amusing.

The office room was something you were quite happy with. The computer looked like it was top of the line, a board on the wall that would help you organize your thoughts (and thankfully, there were a ton of office supplies), and a bookshelf that contained a variety of books. They mentioned to you that the water heater was just behind the door of the office closet.

Before you exited the room, you took another look at the computer and realized something. “Hey, that's a Valdivian computer!”

The homeowner froze for a moment by the doorframe before they cleared their throat. Then they turn to face you, fiddling with their fingers, “Ah yes… Valdivian provided it to me when I worked for them.”

“That's neat! I'm actually working for Valdivian.” You say, proudly.

Their eyes narrow as they eye you up and down. “O-oh..?”

“Well…” You grin. “Technically, I haven't started work yet, but my friend put in a good word for me. I just had my interview yesterday, and I start working remotely next week.”

They seem to relax at your statement. They turned around, and you heard a soft “Congrats.” before they left the room. You quickly followed after them.
​
With the tour of the first floor finished, you both began to climb up the stairs towards the second floor. Each step you took made a creaking noise, and the homeowner apologized for how old the stairs were. You didn’t mind; it gave the house a homey feeling.
​
Maybe you had glossed over it when you were looking at the listing, but you were surprised to see the gym room. You didn’t take the homeowner as someone who exercised enough to have a room for it. It had multiple exercise equipment such as a treadmill, weights in a weight rack, and a yoga mat and ball. There was another TV hanging on the wall, a fan, and a bunch of ribbons and trophies on display. You weren’t able to take a closer look at the trophies before they called you over to a closet, filled with boxes of more sports equipment.

Maybe this was a sign for you to finally start exercising again.

There was also another bathroom that connected to the gym. It was similar to the one downstairs; however, instead of a shower, this bathroom had a bathtub. For a moment, you hear them muttering something about an annoying rubber duck, but you weren’t quite sure. Next was the electric closet. There wasn’t much to it aside from the breaker box, a toolbox, and a few boxes. It was good to know where the breaker box and toolbox were in case of an emergency.
​
And the final room was the bedroom. Compared to your single sized bed in your apartment, the bed that sat in the room felt like it was king sized, even though, realistically, it was queen sized. But the thought of you flopping on that bed after a long day and having enough space to roll around for a bit was a funny thought. There was also a cabinet, a bedside table, and a big closet. As you exit the room, you see the homeowner begin to descend the stairs.

You pointed to the final room and asked about it, which you assumed was the attic mentioned in the listing. They looked down and hesitated for a moment before glancing back up at you and apologizing. They had lost the key and haven’t been able to replace it. You look at them a little disappointed.

What a waste of space if it couldn’t be accessed.

Seeing your expression, they began to apologize profusely, and you could get the sense that they were worried about you changing your mind about buying the house. Seeing that you thought about it for a moment. It wouldn’t be hard to get a replacement key for the door, so it wasn’t a deal breaker. You reassured the homeowner and told them you were still very interested in buying the house, which was clearly a huge relief to them.
​
And just like that, the house was sold. You were ecstatic about it, but not as much as the previous homeowner.

~~~~~~~~~~

You didn’t have many things to move into the house. It’s mostly clothes and personal items. You open the back of your car and take out a large suitcase, a duffel bag, and a backpack. As you walk up the steps and take out your new house key, you pause for a moment, put a hand on the doorknob, and place your forehead on the door.

“I’m in your care now, and I’ll make sure to take care of you, too.” You whisper with a smile on your face.

When you enter the house, the atmosphere feels different. Maybe it was because the sun had set and because all the lights were off, but everything felt gloomy. You set all your bags down in the living room and search for a light switch. It didn’t take long for you to find one, but when you flipped it, nothing happened.

“Huh?”

You flip the switch again, but nothing happens. You try a different switch, and still nothing happens. It was starting to become a little hard to see as the sky had darkened into a night sky. Remembering where the breaker box is, you carefully make your way upstairs, the creaking of the steps sounding louder than you remember it. Once you make it to the small room, you open the breaker box and see that most of the switches have been turned off, and some wires are sticking out.

How strange. Did the previous homeowner do this?

You flip all of the switches on, but as you flip the last one on, you feel a sharp pain in your fingers, like you had been zapped. You let out a hiss and recoil your hand. It only hurt for a second, as you were more surprised that it happened. You stare at the breaker box for a moment. Why had you been grounded? You aren’t a mechanic or electrician, but you know enough to make sure your hands are dry, and you didn’t touch any of the exposed wires. You close the breaker box and leave the small space to begin turning on all the lights in the house.

The lights are now working, and you’re satisfied that you can see again. Next, you turn on the AC, but you barely feel a difference in temperature. You walk towards one of the vents and reach your hand up to feel the air. It was faint, almost as if your HVAC could barely muster the strength to blow any air. You frown and turn the AC off.

“It’s alright. You must have been working very hard.” You say, looking up at the vent. You really need to find a way to get up to the attic.

After making a mental note to do some maintenance around your house, you decide for now to bring your bags upstairs and unpack everything the next day. After grabbing your bags and taking them to the room, you flop down on your new bed and let out a long sigh. You roll over to grab a pillow and hug it. The bed was soft, and you’ve never left so comforted, almost like you were pulled into a warm embrace. It makes you feel too lazy to get back up to take a shower, so you could change into more comfortable clothes.

You reflect on the past few weeks. You had been let go of your previous job, became more of a shut-in than you already were, found a new job, and bought a new house. It didn’t sound like much on paper, but have never felt so exhausted in your life. All the planning, paper work, interacting with more people than you were used to, packing, and then the actual moving, drained you physically, mentally, and socially. Now that you are laying on a bed, having all of that finished, you were ready to crash out early.

And that’s just what you did. You close your eyes and let yourself fall into a deep slumber.

Chapter Text

You wake up the next day to the sound of… something.

You attempt to shut your already closed eyes further as you let out a groan, rolling to another side of the bed and pulling a pillow over your head. You really did not want to get up, but as you start to regain consciousness, you realize you’re not in your apartment. You remove the pillow from your face and slowly blink your eyes open. You adjust to the sight of your surroundings, and the memories of the previous day come rushing back.

Ah, that’s right. You have a new house.

Letting out a loud yawn, you sit up and rub your eyes. Glancing over to the cute cat clock that sits on the drawer, you see the time is 6AM, as the sun is just beginning to rise. As you’re finally starting to fully wake yourself up, you begin to hear that sound of something again. What was that sound?

You stay seated on your bed and close your eyes, as you try to listen and concentrate on where the sound is coming from. It sounds like rushing water. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion. Why were you hearing rushing water-?

Your eyes shoot open in realization as you practically jump out of bed and rush to the downstairs bathroom. Before you even make it there, you see water coming through the crack at the bottom of the door. What you see when you open the door makes you gasp. The sink and shower were open, and hot water was flooding the floor. The heat had created steam that filled the room. Quickly, you enter the room, and shut off the faucets of the sink and shower, but as you step away to take in your surroundings, you slip and fall hard onto the ground. Your knee hits the toilet, and your head bumps onto the wall, making you let out a loud groan. You shut your eyes tightly as you hug your knee close to your chest while sitting on the flooded floor, tears threatening to leave your eyes.

“Owww… dammit.” You hiss, leaning your back against the wall and looking up at the ceiling, and a bruise starts to form around where your knee made contact with the toilet.

What a great start to the day.

You struggle to pull yourself back up, holding onto the edge of the sink’s table to hoist yourself up and place a hand on your forehead. Your head is spinning. How could this have happened? Was there a leak? Did a pipe burst? No, none of that made sense. You saw with your own eyes that the sink and shower were open from their faucet. You don’t want to think about it for too long because your bathroom is now flooded, and you need to get it cleaned up as soon as possible.

It was painful at first to walk around your house in search of a mop and some rags with your bruised knee. Eventually, you find one and a small box of rags in the laundry room. As you bring the things you need out, you pass by the hamper to see if there are any more rags in it. Lord knows you need as many as you can find to dry up the pool in your bathroom. When you get to the hamper, the window nearby suddenly bursts open and the curtains fly onto your face. You’re so startled that you drop the mop and rags you were holding with a loud yelp, as you try and get the curtains out of your way. Once you get the curtains out of your face, you stare at the window.

Was there a strong gust of wind?

You go up to the window and peek your head out. Not even a light breeze. But how did the window open? And how did the curtains fly towards you? Thinking about all of these impossible things that were happening makes your head hurt even more. You decide to shake it off and worry about it later. You close and lock the window.

Then you head back to the bathroom with your mop and rags. Before you start cleaning, you have the idea to go up to the workout room and bring the fan to the bathroom as well. You set it up just outside the door and turn it on. Hopefully, it will help speed up the drying process. You take a deep breath and sigh. This is gonna be a pain in the ass.

You spend the next 3 hours cleaning the bathroom.

You scrub the floor and walls, and dry the entire room. You're on one knee with your rags, using them to absorb the water, squeezing them dry into the drain, and rinse and repeat it. While cleaning the toilet, you notice its pipe is leaking and absolutely filthy. You go out and grab the toolbox and fix it to the best of your ability. At the very least, it was no longer leaking. You also see the pipes of the shower were leaking, not as bad as the toilet, but it made you frown. You think back to the condition of your breaker box and HVAC, and now to your toilet and shower. What other objects in the house could be in this bad of a shape?

“Oh my dears, how long have you all been in this condition?” You say quietly, as you tighten one of its bolts.

The final thing you do is clean the mirror. Because of the steam that filled the bathroom, the mirror had fogged up. You use a rag and delicately wipe the mirror until its surface is crystal clear.

“There we go.” You grin. “What a beautiful mirror you are.”

But as you stare at your reflection, you begin to frown. You place a hand on your cheek and stretch it down slightly. Your hair is a mess, your clothes from yesterday are now wrinkled, and your eyebags are more pronounced than ever before. You look like a train wreck.

“It's too bad you couldn't reflect something as pretty as you, no?” You let out a weak chuckle.

You stretch your arms and put away everything you used. Soon you feel your stomach growling, and you look at the clock.

9AM. Time for breakfast.

~~~~~~~~~~

You smile as the coffee maker finishes making your drink. You give it a light pat on its top. “Thank you. This looks great!”

You sit down on a chair in the kitchen and take a sip of your drink. Then you set it down on the table and rest your head on your hand with a sigh.

Your fridge's freezer had frozen itself inside, ice covering each of its walls. There was leftover food that spoiled and was left inside, which you threw away immediately. Luckily, you were able to salvage some of the food that is still inside. You also found a broken plate in one of the cabinets while looking for a cup for your coffee. Your list of things to fix growing more and more.

You take another sip of your coffee.

Then you hear a ding, as your microwave finishes heating up your food. You open the microwave and carefully grab the food, petting the top of the microwave. “Thanks!”

You sit back down with your microwaved food and laugh. You felt like you were back in your apartment, ordering from Food Fetch and heating up its leftovers for the next day. Some things never change.

“Maybe I'll cook tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~

After having breakfast and fixing yourself up, you bring the pieces of the broken plate to your office and decide to look up the best way to fix it. You know you can just find some glue to fix it up, but the plate was too gorgeous to repair it with glue. You sit on the chair and boot up your computer, then let out a loud gasp.

“This operating system is ancient!”

Exploring your computer, it's a miracle any of the applications are still able to run. Your Recycling Bin is called Pile of Ash, and your Bluetooth is called Beigetooth. You wanted to update the operating system, but you decided to set that aside for another time. You begin to look up different ways to fix your plate. There are a variety of different methods, but one caught your eyes.

“Kintsugi.” You mutter to yourself.

Your eyes sparkle in delight as you read about this method of repairing plates and pottery. It was a way of fixing them using something like gold and making its cracks and imperfections a part of its beauty. You watch a couple of videos on the materials you will need and the process of putting everything together. It would take quite a few things you'll have to order online, and a lot of time, but you are certain that this is the perfect way to fix your plate. Without hesitation, you order everything you need.

You look away from the computer's screen for a moment to the sound of rain. Outside the window, you see the drops of rain rolling down its glass, the sound soft and relaxing. The room starts to feel cool, as the winds outside blow strongly.

You take this time to lean back against your seat and examine the room. You look at your bookshelf and read some of the spines of the books. Romance novels, manga collections, encyclopedias, and so much more. Looking over at the board, you already wrote down a list of different things you need to get done on various sticky notes, and stuck a few motivational quotes to give you motivation.

Then from the corner of your eye you see the D20 die that sat on the corner of your desk. It was much bigger than the ones you've had before. The corners of your lips tug upwards as you pick it up. It had been years since you participated in a G&G campaign. Back when all you had to worry about were college exams and interacted with people on a daily basis. Time has really escaped you.

“You're a big guy aren't you?” You fiddle with the D20 with your fingers then release it, letting it roll onto the table. You rolled a 1.

“Yikes. Critical failure.” You wince. “My group would have been in real trouble if we were fighting an Ancient Dragon right now.” You joke.

You pick up the dice again, and decide to ask it a question for fun.

“Should I put off transferring my files to tomorrow and read some manga?”

You roll the dice.

4.

“Haha, fair enough.” You smile. “I'll do it in a bit.” You think of another question.

“Can I at least watch some videos afterwards?”

15.

“Good enough.” You grin. “What do you think about my idea of fixing this plate, Kintsugi style?”

19.

You feel encouraged. “I'm glad! Looks pretty cool, right?”

You probably sound ridiculous asking your new D20 questions, but you're having so much fun. You grab the die one more time, thinking of your last question.

“How do I look today?”

20.

You giggle, pick it up, and give it a light kiss. “Thank you, dear.”

You gently set the die back on the corner of the table and turn back towards your computer. It was time to get to work.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first day in your new home had not been ideal. After you finish unpacking all of your bags, you spend the next few days surveying around your house and fixing up the place.

One thing you notice is that the doors around the house were a little hard to open. Some handles would be hard to twist, or it would take a bit of force to push a door open. Almost as if the doors were guarding each room from you.

Another thing you notice is that the place was dustier than you remember it when you were given a tour of the place. So you decide to grab the vacuum cleaner and start by cleaning the floors. While vacuuming around the house, you found a trap door hidden under a rug that leads to a crawl space. You were surprised to see the place. The previous homeowner never mentioned there being one. However, you don't take much time to explore the area, because you immediately spot a skeleton key on the floor. You grin excitedly and pick it up, blowing off the dust on its surface.

“Oh my god! I hope you weren't here for too long.”

You examine it. Its design is intricate and elegant, very old fashioned in its aesthetic. You immediately go back up the ladder, making sure to close the door and put the rug back in its place, and then upstairs towards the attic. As you stand in front of the door, you clasp the key with both hands.

“Please let this work.” You pray.

You insert the key into the keyhole. Click!

A wide smile spreads across your face as you whisper a triumphant, “Yes..!”

Entering the attic, you are surrounded by particles of dust that tickle your nose, as you let out a loud sneeze. You get the sense that no one has been in here for a long time. Cobwebs hang from the ceiling, various corners of the room, and in between boxes. Piles and piles of boxes crowd a corner of the room, and you can tell from the few items that were peeking out of them that they’re filled to the brim with the previous owner’s old things.

Did they really leave everything behind?

Perhaps you should try reaching out to them again, to ask if they want any of these things back.

You also spot a box of old board games and a safe tucked away in another corner of the room. However, what stood out to you at the moment was finding the main part of your HVAC. You walk up to it and place a hand on top of it with a gentle smile.

“I found you.”

You go back downstairs to fetch the vacuum cleaner, toolbox, and a rag. You clean up the floor as much as you can with the vacuum cleaner, before you go over to your HVAC unit to see what the problem is. You carefully open it and examine the inside. Clumps of dust had begun to form and harden in between some of the gears and cogs, making it hard for them to turn. Its filter looks like it's never been cleaned, and some of its screws and bolts are loose. Thankfully, there’s no damage inside.

“It’s alright, hon. Let’s get you all cleaned up!” You roll up your sleeves and get to work.

You make sure to be careful when using your tools and gentle when removing and wiping away all the dirt. You take out the filter and clean it as well. Once you are sure you know every inch if your unit is clean and is in its place, you close its doors and find a dial to test it out. You turn it on, and after a minute or two, cool air circulates the house. You take in a deep breath and then let out a sigh of relief.

~~~~~~~~~~

Another day passes, and you find yourself staring at the shadow of your globe as you finish cleaning for the day. You noticed over the past few days that this shadow never seemed to move or disappear, no matter what time of the day it was. It fascinates you, but you’re not quite sure what to do with this information.

You then walk up to your globe and give it a quick spin. If traveling wasn’t so expensive, you would love to travel around the world. You place a finger on a random spot to stop it from spinning.

“The Philippines, huh?” You smile. “I hear they have wonderful beaches, and the locals love karaoke over there.” You say to your globe.

You then turn to look at the clock. 4PM. You have time to do one more thing before you have dinner. You look around your drawers until you find a sewing kit. You make your way to the living room, where the blanket you spotted the first time you came to this house still lay on the chair. While you were putting things away, you saw that some of your blanket’s patches were falling apart.

You sit down on the couch and grab the blanket. It looks as if it was made with a lot of love. Your hand brushes the areas that need to be stitched, it is still very soft. The previous homeowner didn’t seem to have a pet that would ruin it. It also didn’t look old, but you couldn’t be sure without asking them themselves.

Before you start, you grab the remote to turn on the TV, eager to have something to watch and listen to while you sew.

But your TV doesn't turn on.

Puzzled, you place the blanket down and walk over to the TV. You try to turn it on directly from its buttons at the back, but it still did not turn on. You look around and see that it refused to turn on because it’s unplugged.

“Oh, thank goodness.” You were worried for a moment that you had something else that needed to be fixed.

You plug in your TV and turn it on. Once the screen lights flicker on, you are satisfied and sit back on the couch. Grab the remote again and realize it has no streaming services installed in it. You shrug it off and flip through the channels, until you land on one you like. You ready a needle and thread before picking up the blanket again.

“Let’s get you fixed up, hmm?”

You spent the rest of your time before dinner sewing up your blanket and listening to your TV.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was your first day on the job, and you were already replaced with AI. As much as you joked about being in labor limbo with Sam, you weren’t sure what to do now. You sit back on your computer chair with a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. You have nothing to do while waiting around for the company to give you something to do. Maybe you can take this time to care for the house again.

What else needed attending to?

You think about going to your breaker box again. However, every time you tried to do anything with it, something would go wrong. The first time you kept getting zapped every time you touched its switches, and another time, you ended up making all the lights go out again. Maybe you had a pair of rubber gloves somewhere that you could use.

You stretch your arms and legs out, before you open one of your junk drawers. Every time you open your junk drawers, it was like treasure hunting. While looking for a sewing kit, you found quite a few interesting things. A collection of misprinted coins, an assortment of buttons, crumpled up receipts, a small horse piece, and much more you still haven’t discovered.

“There has to be a pair in here somewhere…” Then you stop as you find a pair of glasses.

You pull it out from all of the junk. It was a very stylish pair of glasses, with stunning pink, orange, and yellow sunset colors. You lean back against your chair again, holding up your glasses into the light, and watch as the light reflects its surface.

“What a pretty thing you are.” You coed.

The previous homeowner left so many things behind. You wonder if it was okay to keep all of them. You tried reaching out to them multiple times, but they never answered back. Almost as if they disappeared off the face of the earth.

You look around, as if you are making sure no one is around. Which is obviously ridiculous, considering you live alone.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try it on…”

You put on the glasses, and for a moment, you feel fabulous. Before you can get up to look at yourself in the mirror, something unexpected happens.

You blink, and someone appears in front of you.

“Oh, you think I’d have anything to say to you, after shoving me in a drawer for 3 weeks? You have some nerve to-”

You aren’t able to get in a word as the beautiful stranger speaks. She has her back towards you, clearly very angry, before she turns around and spots you. You stare at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say to one another. Eventually, you break the silence, awkwardly waving your hand.

“Uhhh, hi? Who are you?”

Chapter Text

The pink haired stranger seems stunned to see you. Almost as if you weren’t supposed to be here. Then she seems to snap herself back into focus, and she clears her throat.

“Oh uhhh, I'm sorry but…” She looks at you for a moment, before she looks around the room. “Where is the homeowner?”

You give her a confused look. “Oh well, that would be me..?”

She looks back at you. You see her squinting her eyes as she lowers her glasses, and begins to look at you up and down. You fidget a little in your seat, your eyes darting from side to side. You feel as if you were being evaluated on whether you belonged here or not, despite the fact that you do own this house, and she is technically intruding on it. What is happening? How did this girl get into your house?

Soon you hear a loud gasp. You look up and see the girl’s hands fly to her mouth, her eyes sparkling in delight.

“Oh. Oh my god!” Her demeanor completely shifts from cautious, to giddy in an instant. “You’re the new homeowner!”

Seeing her change in attitude relaxes you a little, but you still have so many questions. She lets out an excited squeal as she grabs both your hands in hers, and pulls you up.

“Your life is about to change.” She grins. “Hope you’re ready!”

Being pulled to your feet suddenly almost makes you fall over, but the stranger holds your hands tightly and you are able to keep your balance. Once you’re able to stand on your own, she lets go of you and she happily introduces herself.

“My name is Skylar Specs and I’m-” She adjusts her glasses, as the light dramatically reflects off its surface, “-a pair of dateviator glasses!”

Her hand reaches out to you, and for a moment, you think she was going to touch your face, making you hitch your breath. Instead she lightly taps her finger on the glasses that sits on your face with a proud smile.

“This is me!”

You stare at her, feeling very lost. “You’re… my glasses?”

You look her up and down. If she is your glasses, it did make some sense. Her hair and skirt are the same pink sunset colors. She’s also wearing a pair of glasses that match yours. Then you think about it again. Wait, this should be impossible!

Has isolating yourself from the world finally gotten to you? Has your brain created another person to keep you company to cope with the fact that you didn’t go out of your house? Because you would have remembered inviting someone as beautiful as her to your house. But you’re certain she’s real. You felt the warmth of her hand in yours when she pulled you up. Your imagination wasn’t that powerful, unless you have become that delusional.

Skylar could see the gears turning in your head, and she quickly begins to speak again. “That’s right! My lenses have special properties: they allow you to ‘Directly Acknowledge a Thing’s Existence.’ Or D. A. T. E.”

She then explains the powers of your new pair of glasses. The power to speak and get to know the objects around your house, or “Dateables” as she calls them. The ability to make friends with them, create enemies, and even find love with them. As she explains everything, you listen to her as best as you can. You appreciate her enthusiasm, however, it was a little overwhelming the more you think about it. You rarely go out of your house. Let alone interact with people in person. The most human contact you get these days are from the delivery people who come to your doorstep. Your closest human connection is your friend, Sam, and you spend most of your time together online.

“Wow…I-” You sit back down on your chair, leaning forward with your face in your hands. “-need a moment.”

“Wait, hold on!” She panics a little, waving her hands frantically in front of you.. “H-how about we go on a date right now!”

“Huh?” You look up at her, and you briefly see the worry wash away from her face.

“You might understand the power of the dateviators more if you see it in action.” She starts. “I promise, it’ll help make your life a little bit richer. There is so much potential for love all around you!”

Then she pauses for a moment.

“Please..?” She pleads.

Despite the very upbeat attitude Skylar presents herself, you can feel just a touch of anxiety poking out of her. You couldn't help but feel for her. You wonder why she seems so intent on you meeting the dateables. It's a little hard to grasp the concept she is pitching to you, but she seems very genuine. You give it some thought. It wasn’t like you were busy with anything at the moment. Especially, now that you are in labor limbo with Valdivian, you basically had all the time in the world.

You were silent, much longer than Skylar was comfortable with. She picks at her nails as you were lost in thought. A million thoughts are running through her head. What were you thinking? This was only her first interaction with you. Had she already messed it up?

Then she hears you sigh. You look up at her and give her a small smile.

“So, who am I meeting first?”

Skylar looks at you, almost in disbelief, before her own smile breaks across her face. She could feel it in her frames. You are going to be different from the previous homeowner.

This time you stand up by yourself, but you let Skylar take your hand again as she leads you out of your office. She takes you to your front door and suggests he be your first dateable. She instructs you on how to use your glasses, and you follow. You look towards your door and concentrate. Soon enough you blink, and someone appears before the both of you.

A tall stranger stands before you, and the unbelievable amount of bouncer energy almost makes you forget that you're still in your house. If he didn't give off such an intimidating air, his door theme clothing would have made you giggle. His shirt has patterns that mimic a door, his jacket has a doorframe design, a keypad wraps around one of his arms, a doorknob replaces a watch, keys hang around his neck like a necklace, a hat sits comfortably on his head with a door knocker on it, and you see on his exposed arms multiple door themed tattoos decorate his skin. He stares you down, his eyebrows furrowed, lips frowning, and his arms folded in front of him. You couldn't help but shrink a little in his presence. Then he speaks, his voice gruff and tired.

“No funny business. Don't wanna see those spectacles being used for untoward.” 

“Hey Dorian!” Skylar cheerfully greets him from beside you. She wraps and arm around your shoulder and grins. “Trust me, this is going to go super well!”

“You sure about that?” Dorian's eyes narrow as he looks at her. “Isn't that what you said last time?”

“I'm uhh… I'm just along for the ride.” You laugh awkwardly. “Wait, last time?”

“T-that's not important!” Skylar quickly jumps in.

You give her a weird look, making her clear her throat.

“After Awakening an object for the first time, you get to speak with them here!” She starts. “Sadly, you can only speak to them once per day.”

“We get a little knackered by using this dateviator rubbish y'see.” Dorian continues.

Skykar then continues to explain about the kinds of relationships you can form with them: Friendship, Love, and Hate. It was endearing to listen to her gush about love, she clearly has a preference for it. Her genuine want for you to find love warms your heart, and you would be lying if you said you weren't at least a little bit interested in it. It was hard to imagine you finding love though. You are just a shut in customer service employee. You weren’t even sure if you could make friends, let alone find love. You did want to focus on at least befriending everyone.

As Skylar continues to talk about love, you glance over at Dorian and notice he seems to have a disdain for the idea.

“But it’s not necessarily the best of the options in my mind.” He scoffs.

Skylar walks over and stands next to him, placing a hand on his back and lightly pats his chest. “Dorian is a big defender of Friendship.”

He rolls his eyes at her. “If everyone were friends, the world would be an awful lot safer in my opinion.” A somber expression flashes on his face, before it hardens again. “I've seen the complications of love. I've lived through the jealous quarrels of hate. The true bond is one between two friends with none of the intricacies of romantic tension.”

“I hear you.” You smile. “I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and making friends.”

He looks at you for a moment. Although he didn't have a big reaction, he was taken a back by how sincere you sounded

“Awwwww.” Skylar pouts. “Well, if that's what you want, but you can go towards whichever one you like.” She then visibility cringes. “Even hate… which isn't my fave personally.”

“Does Reggie still gloat around you?” Dorian asks.

The question makes her grimace. “Ugh. Don't remind me.”

You wonder if Reggie is another datable you'll be able to meet. It also makes you think about the kind of person who would disgust someone as cheery as Skylar so badly.

Skylar then begins to explain something called SPECS points. She shows you a personality chart with Smarts, Poise, Empathy, Charm, and Sass. You see the chart go up with Poise, and it does feel like something changes in you.

“I think… I feel ever so slightly more confident.”

A small smile creeps up on Dorian's lips. “You wear it well.” Then he catches himself before he could say more.

“You can always check out your SPECS points on your phone which… wait…” She gasps, stepping away from Dorian. “We gotta talk to your phone!” She excitedly grabs your hand.

“Duty calls, love.” Dorian nods his head.

“Bye Dorian!” Skylar waves her hand.

“It was nice to meet you.” You give him a bright smile. “I hope we can be friends.”

He doesn't answer right away, almost as if he was choosing his words carefully. Soon he turns around to face outside.

“We'll see about that.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Skylar guilds you towards the living room and you both sit together on the couch. You pull your phone out from your pocket and focus onto it with your dateviators on. Soon another beautiful stranger stands before you. A dazzling smile plastered across her face, shooting you a knowing wink. She has a camera around her neck, the top of her dress was littered with the designs of all your apps, the bottom looks like your keypad, and separating it like a belt around her waist is your swipe to unlock arrow.

“Hey there. Ooh, I like it much better up here where I can see your face!” She turns that megawatt smile towards you.

“Woah, this really is cool.” You say, making Skylar grin widely.

Her energy is much different compared to Dorian. Her smile is bright, and her energy is infectious. You think about how she was probably always with you. She knows all of your searches and schedules. And you think that she's probably concerned about the amount of time you'd spend doom scrolling on your bed every night.

“Awww thank you, baby.” The girl blushes slightly, waving a hand in front of her. “Of course, to really enjoy it, you're gunna need someone to show you how things work.”

“Hey there!” Skylar greets her.

“Oh, you must be Skylar. Name's Phoenicia.” Phoenicia greets the both of you, as she takes a seat on one of the chairs. “Glad we've got the human on board with the latest tech from Valdivian.”

The two of them chat happily about how they're going to help you. Phoenicia waves her hands in front of her, and a hologram screen appears before her. She makes a few swiping and pressing motions. She installs some apps on your phone (on her?) that are only visible while wearing your glasses. The main app is called the Data-a-dex. An app Skylar describes as a way to keep track of all sorts of fun data about the dateables.

“There are a lot of us.” Phoenicia comments. “Oh y'know what? I heard someone named Maggie, the magnifying glass has a really cool app that may be able to help you."

You smile hearing that. Maggie, what a cute name for your magnifying glass.

We're all the objects in the house friends with one another? Skylar and Phoenicia seem to have just met, but they immediately clicked together, as if they had been friends for years. The way they speak to one another was so friendly, you question if the rest of the dateables were just as friendly. Then you begin to wonder how many there are. Phoenicia mentioned there are a lot of them, but how many could there possibly be to need a whole app to keep track of them?

Suddenly, the phone around Phoenicia's ear begins to ring.

“Ahhh, gotta run. Another call coming in.

Before she leaves, she looks towards Skylar. “Oh, and you have nothing to worry about, honey.” She glances over at you with a soft smile. “They're a good one.”

She then rushes to another room to take her call, before you have a chance to bid her farewell.

“Bye Phoenicia!” Skylar calls out.

She then turns towards you with an expectant smile. You return it, no words needing to be exchanged. You know exactly where to go next.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, well, well, what have here?”

As soon as she appears before you, she gives you a scrutinizing glare behind a magnifying glass.

It feels as if you were transported into one of those old detective serials your parents used to watch. A giant magnifying class sits atop her bright red curly hair like a rimmed hat, covering a part of her face. Her big and puffy coat buttoned up with magnifying shape buttons make her look very soft and huggable. But the way she stares at you with one eye enlarged from both her eyeglasses and magnifying glass makes you feel like you have committed a crime.

“I've got a few questions that need answering, suspect.” She bends lower towards you, her face just inches away from yours.

“I uhhh…” You gulp. “S-suspected of… what exactly?”

“Oh wouldn't you like to know.” She scoffs.

Skylar immediately puts herself in between you two. “Maggie, it's our new human's first day talking with us! Go a little easy on them!”

“You are always trying to influence my case.” Maggie takes a step back, looking very annoyed.

“Trust me, this human has a lot of potential to make this house a better place.” Skylar pleads.

“That is to be determined.” She looks past Skylar to glare at you. “I'm going to need some evidence before I believe that.”

“I mean… I don't know about making it a better place, but I'll do my best.”

“Hmmm…” She thinks over your words. “Honestly. It's a start.” She crosses her arms. “Regardless. Although I am hesitant, you are the new human. I should give you a way to track down all the suspects yourself to keep you on my side… hopefully.”

She installs a new app on your phone called Rommers. An app that stores hints that would help you find objects that are not easy to find. You open your phone to check out the apps. You open the Data-a-dex, realizing you haven't had the opportunity to look at it. Your eyes widen as you do a quick scroll through the app. You see silhouettes of all the databases, but what caught your attention was the fact that there are at least 100 of them.

100 people living in your house.

You had a hard time wrapping your head around that number. Surely this is a typo. Your house is big, but not enough for 100 people. You shake off your nerves to look up at them.

“Cool! I can't wait to find all of you.”

“It'll be tough, so all I can say is good luck, gumshoo.” She sounded very cautious. “You can check Roomers to find your last dateable for the day.”

“Thank you.” You thank her.

“Don't thank me.” She pulls her hat lower and gives you a very pointed look. “I’ve got my eye on you.”

With that, she turns around and takes her leave.

As you and Skylar head to your bedroom, you can't help but feel like you were already messing up.

~~~~~~~~~~

Just like before, you focus your gaze on your bed, and soon someone appears before you. She is stunning. All curves and comfort, a soft body and softer facial features that seem to invite one closer subconsciously. If you thought Maggie's coat looked soft and huggable, the tall woman's robes look like they were clouds you can sink into. There is a warmth and familiarity around her, but it might be because she is your bed.

“Hey there stranger.” She greets you.

“Hi, it's nice to meet you!” You say back. “It sounds a little silly, but I feel like I already know you.”

“Because you do.” She smiles. “I'm Betty, and I'm your bed.” She twirls strands of her curly pink hair with her finger. “We haven't been sleeping together for long, but it would be a little weird if you didn't know me.”

You feel your face warm up at the comment. “I definitely would remember sleeping with someone as pretty as you.”

A soft blush forms on Betty's cheeks. “I've been here the whole time, darling.”

Then the idea sinks it. She really has been with you every night. Every time you speak in your sleep, she hears it. She and Phoenicia know everything you search and watch on your phone. Did it hurt when you would jump onto her bed? Did she feel the times you were so tired, you'd drool in your sleep? That means she was also there when you felt so low, you cried yourself to sleep. You suddenly wanted to crawl in a hole and bury yourself.

She must think you're pathetic.

“Oh, by the way… Skylar told me everything.” She starts. “But don't you worry. I might be here now, but you can still sleep in your bed just like you always do. You can choose to talk to me or not.” Then her smile fades. “You don't have to of course…”

You want to ask if she was okay. Actually, you have a lot of questions you wanted to ask to everyone you've met so far. But it didn't feel right asking personal questions to people you just met. Especially when it feels like they didn't want to talk with you.

“Anyways, I'll be here.” And just like that, Betty disappears.

Betty, despite her polite attitude, you could feel she felt somewhat uncomfortable. She looked like she wanted to say more, but held herself back. She spoke to you the least, and you wondered if you did anything wrong to make her seem uncomfortable around you.

You haven't realized until this point that Skylar had been missing for your entire meeting with Betty. Until she appears beside you. She had been looking at some Roomers, and asked how your conversation with Betty went. You didn't have the heart to tell her that you didn’t speak much. She smiles and tells you it's time to call it a day. Tomorrow you'll be able to meet dateables on your own, and Skylar couldn't be more excited for you. You take off your glasses, and soon, she’s gone.

You are alone again.

You cautiously approach your bed. “Excuse me.”

You carefully sit down on the bed and stare at your dateviators. You are holding Skylar in your hands. It didn't feel real.

You place the glasses on your bedside table and lay down. You hadn't realized how tired you were until your head hit the pillow. Everything that happened was a lot to take in, and it made your head spin. You had also spoken to more people than you were used to in one day. Your social battery has been completely drained.

As you drift off to sleep, you wonder if Skylar will still be here when you wake up.

Chapter Text

When you wake up the next day, you see the glasses are still on your bedside table. You sit up and pick them up and stare for a moment. So it wasn't a dream. Everything that happened yesterday really did happen.

Skylar, Dorian, Phoenicia, Maggie, and Betty are all real.

You take a moment to run your hand on top of the mattress with a sleepy smile. “Good morning, Betty. I had a great rest, thank you!”

You cover your mouth as you let out a yawn. Then you get up and stretch your arms and legs, doing your best to fully wake yourself up. You look at the glasses one last time before putting them on.

Without a moment's hesitation, Skylar appears before you, her smile as bright as the sun and her hands clasp together in anticipation.

“Good morning! Are you ready to start getting to know everyone around here better?” She greets you eagerly. “Maybe find some love?”

“Good morning, Skylar.” You try to mirror her smile. “I guess so. I'm a little nervous though.”

She places a hand on your shoulder. “You've got nothing to worry about! I'm sure everyone will love you!”

You sure hope so. Skylar has been so kind and helpful since you met, you'd hate to disappoint her after everything she's done so far. You decided to try and be positive. If there really are around 100 dateables you can meet, you could befriend at least one of them, right? The thought of them hating you was filling you with a bit of dread. You're not sure if you'll be able to sleep properly at night if you knew your objects hated you. You shake off your nerves.

“I'd like to get to know you better too.” You say to her.

“Oh well, you certainly can.” A light blush spreads across her cheeks. “But I'm still in my “tutorial mode” setting. On the clock with a new user, y'know?” She places a hand on her cheek and waves the other one.

“Oh.” You say, a little disappointed.

“I-If you wanna have a chitchat, come by my app tomorrow!” She quickly says, sensing your disappointment. “Always ready and available to help you and answer questions! 24/7 at the palm of your hand, haha!”

Skylar laughs a little too loudly, her smile now seeming a little more forced. She pulls her hand that was on your shoulder back towards her, as she anxiously grabs onto her other arm. Then she bites her lip, holding herself back from saying more. This time you take her hands in yours and give her a soft smile. You draw circles around her hands with your thumb as a reassuring gesture. 

“I'll see you soon?” You smile.

Skylar was so warmed by your gesture, she squeezed your hands in return with a thankful smile. “I'm just one app away.”

~~~~~~~~~~

You quickly get yourself ready to start the day. You hop in the shower to clean yourself up, and change into a comfortable set of staying home clothes. You look at your reflection in the mirror and style your hair a little differently. Nothing fancy, just neater than your usual style. You apply some light makeup, just enough to make your skin look smooth, and to cover up your eyebags. You want to make sure you make a good first impression, but at the end of the day, you are still just in your house. Once you're out of the bathroom, you quickly fix your bed. Then you see the time, it's 7AM. Maybe you can meet someone before having breakfast. You take a look around your room, deciding to meet someone here.

But who should you meet first?

Putting on the dateviators helps you see which objects you're able to talk to, as it highlights them. You scan your room, until your eyes land on a vent. Maybe you could talk to your HVAC. It would be nice to ask them how they're doing after you cleaned it up. You could ask if they need anymore repairs you didn't see or notice. You sit in front of your bed and focus your gaze on the vent.

Unlike the last few times you've done this, no one appears before you. Instead, a pair of hands slide out from between the vents, as a pair of eyes look back at you. You could feel the air around you cool more, while you couldn't see who was there, you could feel their presence. You hear a loud gasp.

“No… I…” The voice stammers. “Why are you here? What are you doing?”

“I just want to say hi.” You greet him with a smile. “Oh, I'm sorry. Did I scare you?”

“Yes, you scared me!” He said, his voice low and gruff, sounding almost angry.

You frown. “I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to.”

He was silent for a moment.

“I… I've dreamed of this day ever since you…” He pauses, “No… I can't.” He says, frightened. “I have to go.”

“Wait-!”

But before you could call out to him, he's gone.

~~~~~~~~~~

You stare blankly into your bowl of cereal and let out a sigh. You already messed up your first interaction with someone on your own. You weren’t even able to get his name, just your presence alone was enough to scare him away. Perhaps you had done something you weren’t supposed to while you were cleaning up your HVAC. Maybe you placed the filters back on wrong, or you didn't do a thorough enough cleaning. What if you weren’t gentle enough while cleaning him, and damaged him by accident? The thought of you hurting him makes you frown. Either way, he made it clear that he did not want to talk to you.

You stir your spoon into the milk, your cereal has become too soggy.

After you finish eating, you wash your dishes and sit back down on one of your kitchen chairs. It's okay, that was only your first interaction. The day is still early, you just have to try again. You look around your kitchen, then an idea strikes you. You could talk to your plates and tell them about your idea to fix it!

You go up to a cabinet and bring out a plate. You set it on the table, put on the glasses, and let your dateviators do its magic. A tall statuteque man stands with his back facing towards you. His hair is long and dark, partially tied up in a bun with a teacup, his blue robes are dishware themed, and sparse freckles littered his face and body. With a notepad in hand, he counts the plates in your cabinet, too absorbed in his work to notice you there. You aren't sure if you should disturb him. The timing felt terrible, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to say hi. When you get up to approach him, you see his eyebrows furrow, and he looks back and forth between the plates and his notepad.

“Good morning.” You greet him as soon as you get to his side.

He ignores you. He taps the end of his pencil on the notebook, and you hear him muttering something. Then he begins to count the plates again. You stand awkwardly beside him, unsure how to start a conversation. You try to peer into his notepad, but when he sees you, he adjusts his position to hide it. Then he places a hand on his shoulder and rolls it, and you see him flinch for a moment, almost as if he was in pain.

“Is uhhh… something wrong?” You ask.

He lets out an exasperated sigh, finally acknowledging your presence.

“Yes there is.” He says, his voice calm and smooth. “Not only has a plate gone missing, but someone is disturbing my work.”

You shrink a little at his comment. Wait, a missing plate…

“Oh! The broken one?” You say, a little bit too cheerfully, excited at the idea of having a starting point to talk about. “I saw it! You see-”

Suddenly he whips around to look at you, horrified.

“You shattered one of the plates?!”

“What? N-no!” You say quickly. “I-I saw it a-and I-”

You try to explain yourself, but the sheer anger in the man's eyes makes you stumble on your words. His gaze manages to be both full of fiery rage and ice cold. You can tell he wants to say something, or scream at you, but he was fighting within himself on how to react. He then closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then lets out a long sigh. He straightens his posture and opens his eyes.

“Leave.” He points away from him. “I have a lot of orders I still need to fulfill, and inventory to count. I cannot afford any more distractions.”

Without another word you obey, leaving him to his work.

~~~~~~~~~~

“This is a disaster.”

You sit on your couch, your head on top of the back rest as you look up at your ceiling. That interaction was somehow worse than the first one. Now he thinks you broke the plate! Was that why he looked so sore? Did the plate breaking affect his body? If that's the case, you need to fix that plate as soon as your materials arrive. Who knows how long he's been in so much pain?

You decide to take a break from meeting any more dateables for now.

You take a walk around your house, making mental notes of anything that needs work on. You need to stock up on food and more office supplies. There's also a lightbulb that needs to be replaced on one of your lamps. You go up to your attic to see if there are any lightbulbs that haven't been used yet. Once you get there, you hesitate for a moment when you see your HVAC unit. You decided to walk towards it. You are about to place your hand on it, then decide against it.

“Hey… I'm really sorry for scaring you.” You apologize again, fiddling with your fingers. “Or if I did anything wrong. I'm not much of a mechanic… I'll do better next time.”

Then you start looking through a few of the boxes, quickly realizing that they only contained the previous homeowner's personal belongings. You stopped looking after 3 boxes and decided to order lightbulbs online. As you begin to put things back into the boxes, you feel a sudden chill pass through you. It was ice cold, and gone before you could fully process it happening. You shiver, but don’t think much about it. In the last box you looked at, you found an adorable teddy bear, who's clearly seen better days. Its colors are faded, the bow  and one of its eyes are gone. You bring it out of the box and lightly pat the dust off it.

“I think I had a bear just like you when I was little.” You smile, a wave of nostalgia hitting you as you give it a hug.

Well since the old homeowner didn't seem to want any of their things back, you decide to adopt this little teddy bear. You bring the stuffed animal back to your room and place it on your bed. You look through your junk drawer to grab a button to replace the bear's eye. Then you get your sewing kit and bring it to the room.

“I couldn't find any dark brown buttons, so the closest one I have is this dark blue one.” You explain as you grab the stuffed bear. “I hope that's alright.”

You get to work sewing the button on it. After you finish, you re-tie its bow tie and adjust its hat. You hold it up and admire your work.

“Good as new.” You give it one last hug.

Suddenly your cat clock begins to alarm, making you almost drop the bear. You turn to look at it. 12NN, lunch time.

~~~~~~~~~~

After lunch, you decide to try and meet another datable.

After your clock alarmed, you were curious to meet it. You go to the closest clock you could find, and wonder if each clock was a different person. You put on your dateviators and look up at your cat clock. Soon a slim, and dainty gentleman in a well tailored suit stands before you. His undershirt resembles a clock with many gear patterns filling the empty spaces, the lapel of his vest has cute cat ear designs on them, his cufflinks are also in the shape of gears, and he wears white gloves that have cat pawprits designed on them. What catches your attention however, are the feline ears on his head and a long black tail from behind him. He seems far too absorbed in the ticking of his fancy pocket watch with his eyes closed. His tail flicks back and forth with the time of the watch. You can hear him muttering. 

“Tick… tick… tick.”

Maybe you could connect with him if you imitate him.

“Tock… tock… tock?”

“Don't.” He hisses, opening his eyes to glare at you. “Don't taint the perfection of the clock with your disgusting imitation.”

Dammit. You mentally facepalm.

“S-sorry.” You say, face flushing in embarrassment.

“Why have you come?” He scowls. “I don't see “interpretation to meditations on the beauty of time” on the schedule.” He says, his tail flicks in annoyance. 

You think quickly on what to say. “I-I I'd love to appreciate the beauty of time with you!”

He looks at you, his eyes narrow and his ears fall back. His tail continues to sway back and forth with the ticking of his pocket watch. Despite the fact that you could hear the ticking, it feels as if time has stopped. All you can do is stand awkwardly, as you wait for his response. Then he speaks.

“You humans, always wanting things to go your way. Thinking time will bend to your will if you simply keep pushing and forcing your way through.” He huffs. “The arrogance, it sickens me.”

You gulp, not sure how to respond to that. He continues.

“If you wish to speak to me, you must make an appointment.” He turns his head away from you. “And I am only making this exception because I'm more than willing to make the time to appreciate the beauty of time with someone who genuinely wants to do it.”

“O-of course!” You say immediately. “But uhhh… who am I making an appointment with?”

“Sweet heavenly hours. I was so busy reprimanding you, I forgot to introduce myself.” He clears his throat. “Not that you didn’t deserve it for breaking from the schedule, but it is no excuse.” He adjusts his posture. “Timothy. Timothy Timepiece at your service.”

That would explain the obsession with time. You couldn't help but smile internally, another fitting name for your household object. You also realize this is the first time you've gotten someone's name.

“It's nice to meet you.” You greet him.

“Hmm.” He hums. “Punctuality is of the utmost importance. You will abide by the schedule, won't you?”

“Of course! I'll respect your schedule.” You say happily.

“Excellent. I will see you at noon sharp, and we can speak.” Then he glares at you. “Do not be early, do not be late, and do not see me at any other time. If you do…” He pauses. “Calamity. Catastrophe. Untimeliness.”

“I-I understand.” You gulp.

“See you then and not a moment before.” He then turns to face away from you, waving his hand. “Now shoo. I’ve wasted enough time with this conversation.”

You decide to follow his words and leave. With your luck so far, you didn’t want to push him further.

~~~~~~~~~~

As you lay in your bathtub, you wonder if that interaction with Timothy went well or not. It was hard to tell. It was certainly better than the first two, but it was clear he still wanted nothing to do with you. You sink further into your bathtub until only your eyes are above the surface, as you blow bubbles into the water. If you want to get on his good side, you’d need to write down the time of your meeting with him on a sticky note. You lift yourself up again and allow yourself to relax in your bathtub. The water is warm, and you think about buying bath bombs for fun. You might as well enjoy having a tub, it makes you feel luxurious. After a while you stretch your body and get out of the tub, grabbing a towel and you dry yourself.

Once you're changed into a new pair of clothes, you look at the mirror to brush your hair. On the counter sat a yellow rubber duck, and you wondered if they were a datable. Out of curiosity, you put the dateveators on and see an outline around it. You smile and imagine the kind of person your rubber duck would be. Perhaps they love to swim, always being in the water. Would they be short and stout? Maybe they were sweet and love kids, since rubber ducks are usually associated with children’s bath time. You decide to meet them.

After activating your dateveators, your duck comes to life, but they were not what you were expecting. A very, very yellow punk dressed in studded leather glares at you. Their charming duck-like appearance does nothing to diminish the aurea of absolute disdain that radiates from them. Suddenly, you feel like you made a big mistake.

“Who the duck are you, jerkwad?”

You wanted to laugh, but you stopped yourself. Laughing at them would be a horrible first impression.

“Santa Claus?” You try to joke.

“Ho, ho, ho, and Merry Dickmas” They say sarcastically. “Now get out!”

They flash you a middle finger, and despite what they tell you, they’re the one that leaves. You are left there standing, dumbfounded. What just happened?

“Oh you are a riot!” You hear a voice come from behind you.

You turn to find a well dressed figure sauntering into the room, tossing his locs over one shoulder as he shoots you a look that makes you shiver. There’s an aura of danger around him, as if he delights in the misfortune of others… and is eagerly anticipating yours.

“I wish I could say I couldn’t believe it, but after the state the previous homeowner left this house in,” He grins mischievously. “It was only inevitable.”

Who is this person that suddenly stands before you? He doesn’t look like any object in your house. His outfit didn’t give anything that would suggest he is even an object. Despite being very stylish, his red and gold themed clothes were covered in broken hearts, the red cloth just barely being see-through. His long locs of hair have gold beaded accessories, and his expression towards you makes you feel like a toy he is playing with.

“Not even 24 hours with these glasses, and you are already adding fuel to the fire!” He cackles.

You can't help but frown. “They hate me already..?”

“Well, yes and no.” His eyes sparkle with glee. “But the hatred is there all the same.”

“Who are you and what's your deal?” You take a hesitant step away from him.

He places a hand on his hips, giving you a knowing look.

“I'm a hot topic, surprised you haven't heard about me already.” His grin seems to widen. “Especially from that pink haired bestie of yours.” He dramatically fips his hair as he introduces himself. “I'm Regina Rejection. But you can call me Reggie.”

Reggie. This is the Reggie you remember Skylar mentioning before, it has to be him! Suddenly you understand why this is the kind of person someone like her would hate. He isn't an object, he is the embodiment of rejection. It's even in his name! You did not like the implications of him being here.

“So you appear whenever I get rejected?” You ask.

“I like to think of it as a nice consolation prize.” A cocky smile plastered across his face. “Watching your failed attempts to chat with every object you've met has been the highlight of my day.” He laughs again. “It was spectacularly pathetic! This will be just as fun as when the previous homeowner fumbled them all.”

You don't know what to say. The way he makes fun of you as you were genuinely trying to make connections with your objects breaks your heart. Which makes sense for the kind of person he is. Your hands ball up into fists as you take in a sharp breath, doing your best to keep your cool. He could see his words are getting to you as you stay silent. Satisfied with your reaction,  he walks up to you, making you step back again, then takes your phone from you.

“Listen bitch, I'm giving you special access to me here on this app I'm putting on your phone.” He presses a few buttons, and he hands the phone back to you. A new app appears with a funny looking icon in the shape of a broken heart. “Have a chat anytime you like. I can't wait to see all these hearts get shattered into smaller pieces.”

And soon, you find yourself alone in your bathroom again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Skylar feels herself appear before you.

“Hey there, champ! I wasn't expecting to chat with you so soon.” Her eyes are closed as she smiles, her hands clasping together. “How was your first day-?”

She stops mid sentence when she opens her eyes and sees the state you're in. Night has fallen and you're both in your bedroom, the place illuminated with only the moonlight. She stands at the foot of your bed as you sit at the top. You hug your legs close to your chest with your face buried in them. Skylar hurries over to your side.

“O-oh my gosh! Are you alright?” She worriedly flails her hands around.

You don't say anything for a moment, then you look up at her, and she sees your face. Your cheeks are wet, your  nose is red, your eyes are slightly puffy, and a frown spreads across your face. You had clearly been crying.

“I…” You try to speak, but you feel weak. “... they hate me…”

“Oh. Oh honey no, no.” She places a hand on your back in an attempt to comfort you.

“But I messed up all my interactions today.”  You begin, your voice muffled by your legs. “My presence was enough to make my HVAC run away, my dishes thinks I broke him, Timothy clearly hated speaking with me, and my rubber duck barely spoke to me and flipped me off.” You repeat the events of the day to Skylar. “Then Reggie came to me.”

“Reggie.” Skylar grits her teeth. “Of course, it's Reggie. Why wouldn't it be Reggie? That no good-”

She stops as she feels your hand reach out and grab the bottom of her skirt. She looks down and sees how upset this has made you. You obviously have no bad intentions, that should be glaringly obvious to anyone in the house. She mentally face palms thinking about how all the dateables you met today reacted, but she can't help but sympathize with them. She takes a seat in front of you, not sure how she should start. 

“Hey.” Skylar finally starts.

You look at her, and she bites her lips.

“I'm sorry. I know I should have said this sooner but,” She looks away for a moment and takes a deep breath. “I didn't want to discourage you, or scare you away.”

She stops to see if you'll say anything. You give her a nod, a signal to continue. She gives you a grateful smile in return.

“Our previous homeowner was… a lot.” She cringes, trying to be as delicate as possible with her explanation. “They were neglectful, ungrateful, or were just straight up an asshole!” She hugs herself, rubbing her arms uncomfortably. “I know it's a lot to ask, but I hope you'll understand. Many of us aren't going to react positively when meeting you for the first time.”

It didn't surprise you as much hearing that the previous homeowner wasn't a good person after seeing the state your house has been in. But it still saddens you to hear it from Skylar.

“I promise you, there are actually a few of us that are just dying to meet you.” She reaches her hand out to you, and you take it.

Just like this morning, but this time Skylar is the one that draws comforting circles on your hands with her thumb. You give her a small smile.

“Check your Roomers app tomorrow morning.” She gives you an encouraging smile. “Kay?”

You realize you never checked that app today. The app is supposed to help you, and you feel a little silly not using it.

You nod. “Okay.”

Skylar grabs both your hands and then pats the top, a little too hard.

“Good!”

She then jumps to her feet.

“Alrighty get some rest! I have something I have to do real quick. Kay? Night!” She says quickly.

“Wait!” You call out to her. She stops in her tracks. “Thank you.”

She smiles softly. “Anytime.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Skylar finds Maggie in the middle of taking down notes for something. She rushes over to the magnifying glass and speaks before she can say anything.

“Maggie, I need your help. Please."

Chapter Text

It was a little hard for you to wake up the next day. After meeting and fumbling some of your dateables, and your heart to heart with Skylar last night, you wanted to sleep in more. You pull your blanket over your head and let out a groan. Your eyes sting and your mouth feels dry. You end up lying down on your bed for an extra hour, hugging your bear, before you finally decide to get up. As you sit up, you glance over on the bed side table. The glasses sit there just like they did yesterday.

You grab it and stare at it for a moment. 

“Alright, let’s do this.”

As soon as you put the dateviators on, you hear your phone start buzzing with notifications. You pick up your phone and see your Roomers app has been updating. Skylar did say to check the app in the morning. When opening the app, it was filled with new Roomers for you to check out. It seems the first five at the top were the most important ones to check out. You tap the first one.

“You the Looking Glass: Not feeling yourself? Have some self-reflection.” You read to yourself. “Maggie says this was a special request. Meet your mirror before getting ready for the day.”

You look over to your mirror that hangs over your drawers. Before getting ready for the day? You get up and you can see your reflection. Your eyes are still a little puffy from crying last night and your bed hair reminds you of a lion’s mane. Did your mirror really want to meet you like this? Once you’re in front of the mirror, you take a breath. You decide to trust Skylar and the app. You focus on the mirror, and someone appears before you.

~~~~~~~~~~

Amir wasn’t able to get a proper look at you when you first arrived at the house. The previous homeowner was very anxious about you finding a flaw in the home, and made sure the tour was as quick as possible. He was only able to get quick glances of you when you passed by the bathrooms. The best view he was able to get of you was when you both entered the bedroom. The previous homeowner still covered most of his view of you, but your head pops up from behind them. Despite how far he was from you, he could see the excitement fill your eyes. He could tell you were quite the looker, which concerned him.

The previous homeowner was quite a looker too, and very confident about it. He was all for self confidence, especially when it came to appearances. However, they were vain, and constantly put other’s looks down to prop themselves up.

It was something Amir hated.

Whenever they came to him it was only to hear Amir praise their appearance. And he could tell only from the quick glances he saw of you that you are just as gorgeous as them, if not more. He worried that you would be the same.

Then you finally moved in.

Amir had nothing to do with the bathroom incident on your first day at the house, and openly vouched against the idea. It was all that rapper’s fault, and his poor surface ended up covered in steam. He couldn’t see a thing, but he could hear the moment you entered the bathroom to shut the faucets off, and then slip on the floor. All he could do was listen while you cleaned up the mess those three made. Eventually you get to cleaning him. You were delicate with your touch as you wiped his surface clean, and he got a good look at you for the first time. Your hair was a mess, sticking up in different directions, your eyebags were pronounced as you clearly needed at least 4 more hours of sleep, and your clothes were wrinkled and soaking wet. Despite looking like a mess, you smiled.

“There we go.” You said. “What a beautiful mirror you are.”

He knew at that moment, he fell in love with you.

You were gorgeous, your smile was radiant, and your heart was just as beautiful. He could stare at you the whole day, and it still wouldn’t be enough time to admire you.

But then you frowned.

“It's too bad you couldn't reflect something as pretty as you, no?”

Amir was confused. What were you talking about? Was his surface cracked? Could you not see your reflection? He hated seeing you look upset. He wanted to say something, do something, anything to get your attention. To reassure you that you were the most beautiful person he’s ever had the chance to reflect. But after cleaning him, you grab all the supplies you used and left.

After that, he savored every moment you looked in the mirror. Whenever you brushed your hair or prettied yourself up with makeup, he kept thinking about how you didn’t need to do any of that to be beautiful. Whenever you hummed a song while brushing your teeth, he loved the way your eyes would light up with joy. Before your first day of work you gave yourself a peep talk in front of him, and even giving yourself a wink and finger guns before you walked out, it was adorable. What he wouldn’t give just for a moment together with you really seeing him.

When Maggie and Skylar were going around the house talking to the others about you, he jumped at the opportunity.

He was more than ready to give you the treatment you deserve.

~~~~~~~~~~

You weren’t expecting your mirror to be so beautiful, even though you probably should have. His hair is dark and long, it looks so silky you wanted to run your hands through it. His entire outfit is made with some kind of reflective fabric and accessories, some reflecting only light, and others actually reflecting what’s in front of it like a mirror. What you also weren’t expecting is how he looks at you like you’re a work of art.

“Ah, incredible.” He sighs.

You look at him confused. Then you turn to look at your sides, and then behind you.

“Who, me?”

You take a step out of the way, thinking it has to be something else, but then he throws his arms out to stop you. He gestures for you to stay where you are.

“No, no, no, no, no! Don't move. Step back into the light.” He quickly says.

“Like this?” You step back into place and stand there.

“Yes!” The stranger looks happy as he brings his hands up to frame you. “Breathtaking. Look at you! Do you see how well I can frame your face from this angle? You are glowing!”

He can see a blush form on your cheeks, and it makes him feel extremely satisfied. He loves the way the red colors your cheeks, and he loves it even more because he’s the reason it appears on your face.

You weren’t expecting all the compliments this stranger is showering you with. It almost makes you feel uncomfortable. Not because of what he was saying, because you are very flattered! You just weren’t used to being complimented like this.

“I mean… it's still just me though.” You say, gesturing towards yourself. “I haven't even fixed myself up.” You laugh awkwardly.

He shakes his head. “When you are accustomed to the extraordinary, even the extraordinary seems mundane.”

“I'm not special…”

You look down at the floor as you sway back and forth on the heels of your feet. You're trying your best to hide your face, because you could feel how much it was burning up. You're sure that your face is as red as a tomato. He is quite the sweet talker. You only look up when you hear a gasp from him, a horrified look on his face.

“Ah nonsense! Nothing special? You are adorable!” He praises you. “How could you say that about yourself? What could you possibly dislike about what you see?”

“I look tired.” You say immediately.

He gives you a quick up and down look. Which makes you shift uncomfortably in place. In your eyes, it feels as if he is properly judging your appearance. You think maybe he’ll finally see a flaw in your looks. However, Amir is simply taking the time to admire you. A determined look flashes in his eyes.

“The sign of a busy mind!” He casually shrugs. “That fatigue you see speaks to your many accomplishments!” Then he looks serious for a moment. “Still, rest is vital for your health. Best to make time for that, don't you think?”

You can't help but smile. Even with all his compliments, his concern for your health is what warms your heart. When he notices you smiling, he reflects it back with his own smile. There's that smile he's been so eager to see.

“You're a flatterer…”

“Amir.” He places a hand on his chest and gives you a small bow.

“Amir.”

His name rolls off your tongue with ease, and he loves the way it sounds coming from you.

“But the spark has been lit! You'll see. We'll just have to fan those flames until they're a great big, beautiful rolling flame, won't we?”

“Thank you.” You tug at the ends of your clothes.

Amir can feel you are becoming a bit more comfortable with him, but he can tell you not being ready for the day yet is still bothering you.

“If you would like, I am more than willing to help you get ready for the day.” He extends a hand towards you.

“R-really?” You say, surprised, as you place your hand on his.

“But of course, joonam.” He gives you a teasing look. “Are you worried I will make you look more like a lion?” He pulls you closer by your hand, then uses his free hand to brush through your hair. “That will not take too much effort.”

“What? No!” You can't help but giggle. With your own free hand, you place it on his hand that brushes your hair. “I'd be honored to have someone as beautiful as you help me get ready.” You grab his hand from your hair and bring it to your cheek, allowing you to lean into it as you close your eyes. “If I could look half as good as you, I'd be more than grateful.”

Now it was Amir's turn to blush. Your face feels so warm in his hand. Your smile is even more dazzling the longer he stares at you. The way your words shot right through his heart. Were you aware of what you were doing? Or is your heart that pure? He couldn't tell which would be more endearing. 

“Then let us get started, shall we?”

It pains him to let you go, but you let go of his hands and you walk towards your closet. You both spend a few minutes mixing and matching outfits. You even change into a few of them and model them in front of Amir. He gives you genuine criticism and tips on how you can improve your style, and you have to admit, it was a little fun modeling. Even if you were only modeling your really comfortable home clothes and pajamas. You were also grateful for his advice.

Amir himself was also having a wonderful time. He was worried his advice would discourage you, or at worse, you would get defensive and aggressive. He should have known better, because you took all of his notes with grace and humility. What he enjoys the most is how much more comfortable you’ve become with him, as you smile with each outfit you try on.

What you two eventually settle on is an outfit that surprises you, because it’s an outfit you would have chosen on a regular day. You expected him to choose something a bit more bold or flashy.

“How about I help you with your hair as well, hmm?” He offers, finding another excuse to spend more time with you.

You nod excitedly. You sit on the edge of your bed as Amir finds a brush. He soon gets behind you and starts working on your hair. You close your eyes as Amir gently brushes all the tangles out of your hair. It was relaxing, and you’ve never felt so pampered. You wonder how he’s going to style your hair. He probably couldn’t do anything crazy, since you didn’t have hair gel or spray. You never considered buying any because you didn’t see the need for it. Should you buy some?

“My finest work yet.”

You open your eyes and go to your mirror, eager to see what he’s done. You're a little disappointed to see that it was your normal hair style.

“It’s… my normal style.” You say.

You twist your head around to see from all angles that it was indeed just your regular hair style. Amir struts behind you and places a hand on your shoulder, looking very proud of his work.

“It is.” He looks at you through your reflection. "Why change perfection?”

You stare back at him through the mirror, then at yourself. You really took a look at yourself. Your hair was in its normal style, but brushed with so much care. You’re not wearing anything fancy, just a regular pair of home clothes, but they are clothes you love. You aren’t wearing any makeup to cover your eyebags, it’s just your natural looks. It was just you and the gorgeous man standing behind you

But you have never felt so beautiful.

Amir feels you place a hand on his, and he looks down at you to see your most beautiful smile yet. A smile that screams confidence and gratefulness.

“Thank you, Amir.” You thank him. “I feel… good.”

“You are always welcome, azizam.” He mirrors your smile.

“Stop by anytime. I'm happy to admire your beauty any day.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Your encounter with Amir was so much better than you were expecting. Especially after how your previous meetings went yesterday. You feel a little more confident about meeting more datables.

After breakfast, you check your Roomers app and it points you towards talking to your floor and ceiling next. You look up, a little surprised that you could talk to both. You guess after meeting the embodiment of rejection, your floor and ceiling shouldn’t be much of a surprise. You look down towards your floor and decide to start with it. You focus your gaze towards it with your dateviators on.

“Be there in a moment!”

Instead of someone appearing before you, you hear a voice call out from another room. Soon, an utterly charming secretary hurries into view, giving you an apologetic nod. She has short hair and her clothes seem to be a mixture of different carpets you have around the house, while her skirt has the patterns of the floor boards. Her greeting is cut short as she seems to recognize you mid-sentence.

“O-oh my goodness gracious! It's the human!” She seems frazzled. “W-well I wasn’t expecting you so soon! Oh gosh.” She looks around, almost as if she isn’t sure what to do first. “I haven’t had the chance to organize my table. I was going to change into better clothes. Oh I don’t even have any tea ready. Golly, I must look an absolute mess.” She covers her face with her hands.

“Oh no it’s fine!” You quickly say. “You’re fine. I think your outfit is really cute.”

“O-oh..” She is taken aback by your comment.

She takes a moment to catch her breath and calm herself.

“My apologies, that was very unprofessional of me.” She takes another breath before introducing herself. “I’m Florence, Mayor Celia’s secretary. I’m guessing you’re here to see her?”

“Mayor Celia?” You tilt your head in confusion.

“Oh I’m sorry.” She quickly says. “I completely understand. You are quite the busy bee, running around and taking care of all of us here in the house. Who would have time to remember every little detail?” She clears her throat. “Mayor Celia runs things around here! Keeps an eye on all the citizens. Makes sure the wheels are greased so nothin’ squeaks.” She explains.

Oh, she must be your ceiling. For some reason, it feels very fitting that your ceiling is the mayor of your house. Which obviously also means Florence here is your floor.

“I help her out when I can…” She continues. “But if we’re being honest she does most of the heavy lifting around here…” She mutters sadly.

“Don’t say that.” You approach her and offer your hand. She seems confused and hesitant, but she takes your hand. You draw comforting circles on her palm, and give her a smile. “I’m sure you help her plenty.”

Her cheeks become warm as she stares at you with wide eyes. When Skylar and Maggie had come to the both of them to discuss you, she was very worried about meeting you. Mayor Celia has had so much work already piled up because of everything the previous homeowner has done. Objects complaining about things that need to be moved, fixed, and all the arguments and fights that broke out. She did not want to add any more work for her. But the way Skylar talked about you, how much you’ve been helping the house before you even knew of their existence, made Florence open up a little to the idea of meeting you.

And here you are. She already makes an awkward first impression, and you’ve been nothing but patient and kind to someone you just met.

She clears her throat again, giving your hand a grateful squeeze before letting go. “I’m guessing you’re here for your appointment?”

“I guess so.” You laugh. “If I knew I was meeting a mayor, I would have told Amir to pick a better outfit.”

“Oh you have nothing to worry about.” She smiles a little at your joke. “The mayor is very kind. And technically speaking, you are above her in status.” She suddenly covers her mouth with wide eyes. “B-but don’t tell her I said that!”

“I won’t.” You reassure her.

“I’ll go and tell the mayor you’re here.” Then she twirls a strand of her dark hair around her finger, blushing sweetly. “Would you care for some tea while you wait?”

“That sounds nice, if it’s not too much trouble.” You say.

“No problem at all!” She smiles. “How do you take it?”

“Milk and sugar please.”

“Oh! That’s my favorite too.” She hums. “I think I’ll pour myself a cup while I’m at it.”

Then she leaves. You wait for a few minutes and eventually she returns with two cups of tea.

“The mayor will be with you shortly.” She very carefully hands you your cup of tea. “She just needs to-”

But as she walks towards her own desk, she tumbles, pitching forward onto her hands and knees. Her tea spills all over the floor, though thankfully the cup doesn’t shatter.

“Oohh.. oh no! Gosh it spilled everywhere!” She panics. “And right on the carpet of my good jacket… Oh, that’s gonna stain.” You see her blink back tears as she immediately gets up. “I’m so sorry dear, I need to dab this out with a towel right away!”

“No need to apologise!" You quickly set your tea down and go to her. “Hear, let me help you.”

You grab a few kitchen towels and help clean the floor. Florence constantly apologises and insists you don’t need to help her. You reassure her that it was no problem, and eventually, she lets you help. You dry the floor as she puts away the cup and does her best to dab out the tea from her clothes. Once you finish, you turn to her and notice a red spot form on one of her hands. She must have spilt some tea on her hand, it was impressive she didn’t complain about the burn mark that was starting to appear. You look for a towel and put it under cool water. Then you come back and carefully take her hand.

“Oh what are you-?”

You carefully wrap the towel around her hand with the burn mark and tie it.

“There.” You hold her hand and gently run your hand over the towel.

She gives you a shy smile. “Wow… thank you dear.”

A buzz suddenly comes from Florence’s desk, startling you both. Then a voice follows.

“Florence, you can send them in, dear.”

“Erm.” She looks awkwardly towards you. “W-would it be alright if you showed yourself up to the mayor’s office? Just this once?”

“Of course! No problem.”

You stand up and give her a friendly wave before you walk towards the mayor’s office. Florence watches as you walk away, and she can’t help but smile. As she stands up and dusts herself off, she thinks to herself that the mayor no longer has anything to worry about. The house is in good hands.

Once you stand in front of the door, you feel a little nervous. It’s not everyday you meet someone as important as a mayor. You want to make a good first impression.

With a deep breath, you place a hand on the doorknob and twist it.

Chapter Text

“So… whaddya think, mayor?” Skylar says with an enthusiastic smile.

Mayor Celia rests her head on her hands in thought, as she looks between the two girls in front of her. Apparently, Skylar and Maggie had been going around the house looking for any of the objects who would like to meet with you. They had gone around a few rooms before Maggie suggested they ask the mayor for help. It was hard convincing to meet so suddenly, but since Celia had just finished the last of her paperwork for the day, she decided she'd at least hear them out.

She glances over at Florence, who has been standing beside her, and her secretary gives her a reassuring nod.

“Well, I can definitely arrange for a full house meeting.” Celia starts.

“Oh my gosh, thank yo-”

She holds a hand up to stop Skylar mid sentence.

“However, I would like to properly meet them for myself first.” She continues. “I have been keeping an eye on them from above, and they seem like a good sort.” She pauses for a moment and closes her eyes. “But you never truly know a person until you meet them.”

She really wants to give you the benefit of the doubt, but she needs to be cautious. As mayor, she has the responsibility of the entire household on her shoulders. She cares so deeply for everyone.

The previous houseowner didn't seem like a bad person at first. Maybe a little careless and forgetful about things that needed to be done around the house, but she didn't suspect anything malicious. She chucked it up to a lazy personality. But when they acquired the dateviators, things changed. Maybe it was the idea that suddenly they were aware that almost everything in the house was alive, have lives and personalities, that shifted something within their old homeowner. Was it paranoia? Did they suddenly feel powerful? Or maybe even powerless? Maybe they had always been like that, and it only showed when they had other people to talk to. That nothing had actually changed, but she was finally seeing them for who they really are.

Celia never knew, and she would never be able to find out now. What if meeting more of them would cause you to change as well?

“Schedule a meeting first thing in the morning.” Celia says to Florence.

“Of course, mayor!” Florence rushes out to her desk.

“Actually,” Maggie speaks. This was the first time she had spoken since they both arrived in the office. “Amir already asked to be the first one to speak with the human.” She rolls her eyes. “He was very insistent on it.”

“Hmmm.” She hums. “Very well. Then make sure they see us after him.” Celia presses a button on her desk. “Change of plans, dear. Make sure my morning is clear for whenever the human is free to speak with us.”

“Right away, ma'am!”

“We'll make sure you are right after him!” Skylar beams. She then leans over to the magnifying glass and whispers loudly. “Write that down, Maggie..!”

Maggie rolls her eyes again as she is already jotting it down on her notepad.

“I'm a little surprised to see you helping so much, Maggie.” Florence enters back into the room with a tray of teacups in her hands. “You're not usually one to “influence your cases”, or something along those lines.”

As Florence passes a teacup to everyone, a light blush spreads across Maggie's cheeks. She pulls her hat to cover a part of her face.

“Well, this one wouldn't leave me alone.” She tilts her head towards Skylar, making the pair of spectacles stop mid sip of her tea.

“Hey!”

“And well…” She takes a delicate sip of her own tea. “It's not a true investigation until you get all the facts.” She looks into her cup. “Biases aside, they somehow managed to have all their meetings end poorly. Either because they meet with someone with an already negative perception of them,” She then coughs. “..or Hector.”

They all smile, knowing full well what the HVAC unit is like.

“I'm simply curious to see how they'll respond to others who have a positive perception of them.”

Celis nods. The four of them spend the next few minutes discussing plans, and eventually the two girls leave. The mayor can see Skylar wrapping an arm around Maggie's shoulder and fist pumping the air, while she can hear distant complaints coming from the red head.

And as her secretary bids her a goodnight, she wonders how your meeting will turn out.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mayor Celia smiles as she watches you help Florence clean up the tea that had spilled onto the floor from her office. She was about to come out when she heard the cup fall onto the ground, but stopped when you immediately jumped in to help. You even noticed the burn mark that began to form on her hand, and took the time to wrap a cool towel around it. 

Perhaps she had nothing to worry about after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

When you enter the room you see her immediately, the mayor herself. She simply radiates poise and power. She has an intimidating sort of beauty, and you suddenly feel very underdressed. Her dress was as intricate as a roman column, her hair neatly pulled up with a hairnet, her high heels making her even more intimidating in height, and literal chandeliers for earrings.

“Hello dear, please take a seat.”

You hesitate for a moment before approaching the chair in front of her desk, and taking a seat.

“It's nice to formally meet you. Mayor Celia.” She extends a hand out to you. “I'm also the. President of the HOA. That's “Home Objects Association.”

“I-it's nice to meet you ma'am!” You shake her hand, and you hope she doesn't notice your palms being a little sweaty.

When you let go of one another, she opens one of her drawers and pulls out a business card. She hands it over to you. Its design is just as sophisticated as her, and the font was so fancy, you almost couldn't read it.

“Here's my card. But really, all you ever need to do if you need me is to simply look up.” She says with a polite smile.

“Wow, I… I had plans on meeting more people today, but I wasn't expecting to meet a mayor.” Your face heats up in embarrassment. “I feel so underdressed.”

She lets out a chuckle. “No need to be embarrassed, dear.” She waves a hand in front of you. “And it's never a bad idea to make sure everyone knows your faces. We're important here.”

You can't help but tilt your head in confusion. You, important? You guess as the homeowner, you're technically important. Without one, no one would take care of the house. But… that's what you're supposed to do as a homeowner. As long as they were a decent human being, compared to the previous houseowner at least. It wouldn't make much of a difference if some else owned the house, would it?

She can see the wheels turning in your head. You really have no idea how much you've done for the house.

“Some sit back and wait for others to plan things. Others simply do them.” She continues. “You and I? We're doers.”

“You really think so?” You never saw yourself as a doer, especially since you spend most of your time at home.

“I've seen you zipping back and forth around the house, running here and there. You seem like a reliable sort.”

Then she looks at you, and her professional persona seems to slip off.

“I really want to thank you.” She begins. “And apologize on behalf of the house for how some of the others have been treating you.”

“Oh wow… I…” You are at a loss for words. “Thank you ma'am.”

“No need to be so formal with me, dear.” She smiles. “Celia is just fine.”

“Thank you… Celia.” You smile back.

A comfortable silence falls between you two. The mayor is a lot more chill than you were expecting, but you are grateful for it. Soon, Celia clears her throat.

“Well as much as I'd love to get to know you more, it's almost time for lunch.” She lets out a sigh. “And I have a lot of appointments after break.”

“O-oh of course!” You quickly stand up and give a small bow. “Thanks so much for your time!”

She gives you a small wave. “Anytime, dear. You know where to find me.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Lunch has come and gone, and now you are off to meet your next dateable. And it was someone you weren't expecting. 

You open your Roomers app and find that you need to go to your nearest vent to meet with your HVAC again. You weren't expecting to meet with him again. As you stand in your hallway and look up at your vent, you tell yourself to be more gentle with your approach this time. You didn't want to scare him again.

When you're ready, you focus your sights on the vent above you.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hector was very nervous when you first came into the house. He wouldn't be able to work properly, and would inevitably disappoint you. The previous homeowner constantly overworked him. It was never warm or cool enough. He was always turned on full blast, it exhausted him. But he always did his best to deliver, even when he could feel his insides falling apart.

In the end, it was never enough.

When you first switched the AC on, he really did his best to provide cool air for you. In the end, he didn't have the strength. Instead of getting upset and shouting for him to do better, you turned the switch off.

“It’s alright. You must have been working very hard.”

You let him rest. You never pushed for him to work harder. You didn't force him to work.

He followed you around the house after that through the vents, wondering if you were ever disappointed with him. You never were. It was the opposite actually. You were very concerned for him. He overheard a conversation you had once over a call with your friend, Sam.

“Like, it doesn't work at all?” He could just barely hear her from your phone.

“Well, no.” You say, as you sit down on the couch. “Air is definitely coming out, but it's so soft.”

“Have you tried fixing it?”

“I need to find the main unit before I can fix it. I haven't seen it at all.” You frown. “I'm worried it's in the attic, and I don't have the key.”

“Yikes my dude. I can't tell if you got a good deal on this house, or if you got scammed.” She jokes.

“The old homeowner isn't answering my calls or messages. It must be so exhausted…” He can see the concern fall on your face. “I have to fix it.”

Hector felt a strong thumping in his chest as he heard how worried you were for him. It wasn't the painful thump he had gotten used to because of his system needing maintenance. It was something else. Something strong that was starting to build inside of him.

He could almost hear Sam's eye roll. “You need to get out more often. If I come over there and you're still talking to your stuff, I'm gonna kick you out of your own house.” Despite her words, it was said with a lot of love and concern for you.

Then he hears you laugh, and it was the sweetest laugh he's ever heard. He wanted to keep listening to it.

When you eventually find a way into the attic, one of the first things you do is fix him. You made sure all his gears and parts were in place and screwed anything loose. You even made sure to clean his filters! His body felt lighter. He took a deep breath, and he didn't feel clogged up. He felt like new. So when you turned the AC on again, he was able to work properly. And when he saw how relieved you were, a bright smile spreading across your face, he knew he would do anything for you.

Whenever he could see you feel hot, he would take it upon himself to adjust the temperature to suit your needs. When it rains and the winds are too strong, he makes sure you are as warm as possible. He loves seeing the relief that washes over your face whenever it happens.

Hector observed your comings and goings around the house. You took such great care of everyone. You were gentle and careful when handling anyone. If someone was broken, you did everything in your power to fix it. You were just such a wonderful person in general in his eyes.

He remembers when you were looking through your junk drawer and found a handful of random stickers. Your face lit up and you immediately took them to another room. He couldn't imagine what you would do with those stickers that would make you so happy, but when he saw what you did, his heart melted. Your fan that was once plain and barely used by their previous homeowner, had been cleaned and decorated with all those stickers. You seemed very proud of your work, and thanked your fan for helping with the bathroom cleanup.

Oh, how Fantina flaunted her new look around the house for days.

Hector, for as much as he wanted to express his own gratitude towards you, had become content with simply watching you. As long as you were happy and he could provide the air you needed, he would be glad.

So when he suddenly appeared before you, he was beyond horrified. He had not prepared himself for that moment, because he never thought it would happen. Not even in his wildest dreams. He ended up panicking and leaving. A decision he deeply regrets. 

When Skylar and Maggie had come to him asking if he wanted to start over again with you, he agreed. 

He mustered up all his courage and was ready to properly meet you.

~~~~~~~~~~

Just like yesterday, he doesn't appear in front of you. A pair of hands slip through the air conditioning grate as a pair of eyes stare down at you. You smile.

“Hiya.” You say, much softer than last time.

Hector almost wanted to run away again, but he steeled his resolve.

“Hello.” He manages to get out.

You see him nervously fidget with his hands. You want to reach out to hold his hands, and comfort him. Help him relax and signal to him that everything is okay. But even stretching your arms up would still barely be enough to reach him.

“I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I did not mean to run away like that. I just…” He begins. “I was scared the way one is frightened when coming face to face with a divine force…”

“A divine force?” Your face heats up for a moment as you frantically wave your hands. “Oh no, you don't have to be afraid of me like that! I'm the farthest thing from a divine force. I'm just…” You pause for a moment. “... the homeowner.”

He saw it for a moment. A flash of doubt in your eyes. The way your voice softened towards the end. He knew what you were feeling, because it's a feeling he's all too familiar with.

You think very little of yourself.

He couldn't comprehend the idea. How could you think so little of yourself? Someone as wonderful as yourself.

“Don't you know who you are? What you are to me?” He says suddenly.

“Well, no actually.” You rub the back of your neck with an embarrassed smile. “I kinda scared you away last time, so I never even got your name.”

“Ah right. Yes, of course.” His hand comes up to the grate as he clears his throat. “I am Hector Valentino Airnesto Condicionado, at your service.”

“HVAC.” You can't help but giggle.

Hearing your laughter almost instantly relaxes him, and a smile spreads across his face.

“Haha, yes. How wonderfully clever you are.” He chuckles. “Ventilation, airflow… and yes, sometimes known colloquially as “HVAC.” He introduces himself.

You can't help but begin to relax as well when you hear him chuckle. Maybe he was starting to warm up to you. You are hoping he is anyway.

“It's nice to finally see you.” You smile. “Or hear you at least.”

“Yes! To hear me.” He clasps his hands together. “I would wish you to understand, and if not to understand then at least believe me when I say that hearing me is the most pleasurable way to meet for the both of us.”

He sees you look up as him in confusion, and he continues.

“Seeing me… well,” He pauses for a moment. “It's not a compliment to me… and would be a great disappointment for you.”

You frown. Why would he think that? He did ask for you to understand, and you did understand what that feels like. But it was hard to hear him talk about himself like that. You hate knowing he feels that way about himself. You always did your best to make sure no one would feel like that, especially those you care about. You only just met Hector, but you already began to care for him a great deal. Sam always worried about how easily you would start caring for someone, because in her words, “People will scam the pants off of you.”

He seems like such a sweet guy. A little shy and awkward, but there is nothing wrong with that.

Hector sees the frown on your face, and he worries it's because he was disappointing you. The thought of that tears through his heart. He needs to fix this. He needs to make sure he is his best self around you. He needs to make sure you know just how amazing you are. He speaks, trying to divert your thoughts to something else.

“My greatest wish is to give you pleasure.” You see his hands slip back inside. “ You are the prime feature of my thoughts. Whatever power courses through me I turn to your pleasure. Whatever warmth or coolness I possess, I direct in full to your comfort.”

Then he continues on. He tells you how much he's wanted to speak with you. To let you hear the melodies and resonance he creates through the ducts, a gift he offers to you. The way he loves the look on your face when you feel a blast of chilled air during a hot day. There is almost nothing he wouldn't do to help you relax.

All you can do is stare up at him, your cheeks burning a bright red. If you thought Amir had been over complimenting you, Hector was drowning you in them. You didn't know what to say, or how to respond. The way he thought so highly of you, while it was very flattering, you feel like you don't deserve it.

“Wow that's… a lot.” You bring your hands up to your cheeks and begin to rub them, trying to calm yourself down.

You look at the ground, not wanting him to see just how red your face has become. You're not gonna lie, your meetings today feel like complete whiplash compared to yesterday's meetings. You were not prepared for it at all.

“I'm getting ahead of myself I just…” He rests his head on one of his hands, as the other hangs out of the vent. “I never thought I would get to say this, and to say it to you.”

He feels the air flowing through each path to all the vents, yet it is as if a hurricane is building up inside of him. He is pouring his heart out to you, and it still feels like he has so much more to spill.

“You are so sweet, Hector.” You finally look back up at him with a shy smile. “I appreciate what you're doing, but you don't have to do so much for me.”

He seems rather confused by that. “I exist only in service of you.”

He says it so matter of factly, that you do a double take on his words.

“Do you ever take some time to relax for yourself?” You ask.

“Oh well…” He pauses for a moment. “I don't relax for myself. I put all my effort into making sure you are as relaxed as possible.”

Your eyebrows furrow as you frown. That sounds… exhausting. Was this why his unit was in such bad shape when you first arrived?

Hector notices you looking in distress, and he immediately panics. Did he say too much? Did he say something wrong? What can he do to fix it?

“Let me care for you?” He opens his arms out for you. “Is there anything I can do to help you relax?”

He sees you place a hand on your chin, as you lose yourself in thought. When you look back up at him, he was not expecting your answer.

“Alright. I'll let you care for me.” It makes him smile, but before he can respond, you continue. “Under one condition.”

“Anything.” He quickly says.

“When we're together, I want us to relax together.”

He blinks. Then he blinks again. He looks at you, thinking you were joking. But when he looks at you, you have a very determined look on your face.

Oh.

You were serious.

“Oh well ummm…” He clasps his hands together as his thumbs fiddle with one another. He is very thankful you couldn't see his face, because he could feel the steam emanating from him. “If that's what you wish.”

“It is.” You grin. You then reach your hand out towards him, as high as you could stretch your arm, with your pinky held out. “Let's relax on our next meeting, yeah?”

He hesitates for a moment, then closes the gap between you two with his own hand. He could barely reach you, but he manages to intertwine his pinky with yours. It's such a small part of your hand, but he feels as if he is touching a sacred body. What an honor, he almost doesn't want to wash his hands afterwards. But what gets him the most is how much brighter your smile becomes when he reaches you. Almost as if you were more excited about it than he was. Which is impossible, he could not be more ecstatic.

When you let go of one another, you give him a wave.

“Don't forget, okay?”

How could he ever forget? This meeting with you is going to be something he comes back to again and again. Until you meet with him again.

Chapter Text

The sun has begun to set as you find yourself in the living room. After your meeting with Hector, you took a short break from meeting anyone. You weren't used to talking to so many people in person in one day, it was draining your social battery. You sorted some files on your computer and did your laundry. Then you took some time to try out your video game console. They didn't leave many games, so you decide to grab the first game you saw. It was a game you've never played before. Finding materials, solving a mystery, and fighting a bunch of enemies, it was a lot of fun! You did end up getting stuck on one level of the game, so you decided that was enough for the day.

After turning off the console, you stretch your arms out and relax for a bit. You grab the blanket and wrap it around yourself, as you sit on your couch with your eyes closed. It's so soft, you can't help but nuzzle your face into it. You quietly reflect on how the past few days have been since you found the dateviators. If you really think about it, it sounds impossible. But you saw it with your own eyes, and you were able to touch them. Despite not always seeing them, it suddenly made you feel less alone. You wonder if Sam will believe you when you tell her.

You take a deep breath and sigh. You open your eyes and put the dateviators on. Checking your phone, you open the Roomers app and check who you should meet next. You smile as you see your next objective is to talk to your blanket. That wouldn't be too difficult since you are already together. You take a moment to remove the blanket off you and fold it back up. You aren't sure if it would affect anything if it was still on you, but you decided it might be more respectful to at least fold them up.

You adjust the glasses that sit on your face as you focus your gaze on the blanket.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mateo has always loved inanimals. It didn't matter what size or species, he took in anyone that needed a new home. When he created the rescue, his little family grew and grew until even the other objects in the house started asking him for help with their own inanimals. He didn't mind it, as it gave him more of an excuse to learn more about inanimals he didn't have. For as much as he loved his inanimal family, the rescue was a lot of work. Feeding, bathing, and checking up on everyone was very taxing.

And when he couldn't find Stitch one day…

The previous homeowner wasn't a very careful person. Over the years, he was used less and less, and ended up taking a permanent spot in the living room chair. Whether they meant it or not, their carelessness caused wear and tear on Mateo over the years. It took a toll on Mateo's body, and it made it harder and harder to keep up with all the running inanimals around the rescue.

When they received the dateviators and they met for the first time, Sprite was with him and she immediately hissed as soon as she saw them. She was a very picky inanimal, but the way her back arched and her pupils dilated into slits was something he had never seen before. That was already a bad sign. Whenever they came over, it was always to entertain themselves with the inanimals. They loved to mess with them for fun, and it caused some of them to become aggressive.

It became harder and harder for Mateo to care and keep track of everyone.

He was relieved to find out they decided to sell the house and move out, but he was very cautious about who the new homeowner would be. He became so protective of the inanimals, he almost wished you would never find the dateviators.

He was very pleasantly surprised when you arrived at the house. He watched as you went around the house and took care of everyone. You even took the time to stitch him up and have him washed. While your stitches weren't perfect, he started to feel his strength coming back to him. He could run and catch up with all of his little friends again. You also loved using him whenever you could. You would bundle up on the couch while watching tv with him, or sometimes if the office felt too cold, you would take him with you and have him around your shoulders while working.

For the first time in a while, he felt loved.

He was happy when Skylar and Maggie approached him. He decided to let his guard down and thank you for everything you've done.

However, just before your meeting, one of the inanimals went missing.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Davi? Davi! Come on Davi, where'd you get off to now?”

When your blanket appears before you, he seems to be in distress. His white and very fluffy looking hair is in a bit of a mess and his clothes consisted of various different comforters and blankets, with his main robe being the blanket you were familiar with. You see his clothes are covered in dirt and pawprints. He looks so huggable! He doesn't seem to notice you at first, looking around the room for someone.

“Davi? I hope he's alright…” He says, a worried look spreading over his face.

“Is everything okay?” You ask.

He's startled by your sudden presence.

“Oh hey!” He greets you. “I'm sorry, I didn't even see you. I hope you haven't been here too long.” He places a hand on the back of his neck and laughs nervously.

“Oh no it's alright!” You give him a warm smile. “I just got here… technically? It's nice to meet you!”

“I'm Mateo, Mateo Manta.” He introduces himself. “Oh uhhh… “blanket.”

He quickly brushes his fingers through his hair and pats down his clothes, doing his best to straighten it. He wasn't expecting you yet and didn't have time to get ready. He just came from the rescue and probably looks like a mess.

“I've just been so focused on finding Davi…” He places a hand on his cheek and closes his eyes, eyebrows furrowing in thought. “This is the second time he's wandered off this week. I'm starting to get really worried.”

“Who's Davi?” You ask, tilting your head slightly.

“Davi is one of the rescues, a young knit bull that I found trapped in the office a few months ago.” He explains.

You bite back a smile. A knit bull! Just like a pit bull dog. That sounds so adorable! Then you remember what he said. Davi is missing, and you suddenly begin to worry as well.

He opens his eyes and looks at you hopefully. “You wouldn't happen to have seen him around, would you?”

“I'm not sure… what's he look like?”

“He's about an inch tall, hand dyed, fingering weight even though he acts like he's worsted and it's always getting him into trouble.” He quickly describes him. “He was in pretty rough shape when I found him the first time, not telling how long he'd been there. He was so frayed I wasn't sure if I'd be able to put him back together.”

You frown. “That's horrible… who would do something like that?”

“It's hard to say. He might have just gotten lost or left behind.” He sighs. “But there are certainly things out there who think it's funny to pull on a tassel hound's string, you know?”

You see it for a moment in his face. A flash of anger. Did the old homeowner do things like that to the animals? How could anyone mess with animals like that? The more you meet the object of your house, the more you start to learn about how terrible of a homeowner the previous person was.

“Whatever happened, he hung in there. After a few weeks he bounced right back and was running around with the rest of the tassel hounds.” His face softens as he thinks about that memory.

“Sounds like a happy ending!” You try to encourage him.

Mateo smiles at your enthusiasm. Despite how worried he's been, you being here and talking to him is giving him some sense of relief. Maybe it's because he had someone to talk to about his worries, or maybe it's because he was now taking a break from looking after the inanimals. Either way, he's very grateful to have you around.

“Haha well, mostly. He's been wandering off a lot lately, especially when you're not looking.”

Then you see a small black cat looking creature rub up against Mateo's leg. It looks like it's made up of tangled wires. It's adorable!

It meows.

“Speaking of handfuls haha.” The ends of Mateo's lips curl upwards when he sees the small creature.

It meows again, sounding a little more worried this time.

“Aww don't worry Sprite, it's not your fault Davi ran off, I promise. He'll be back soon, okay?” He picks up the little creatures, and it hisses.

“Feisty little girl.” You grin.

“Haha yeah. She's got a big personality.” He pats the top of her head. “This is Sprite, one of the first inanimals I rescued.”

She meows.

“Yeah sweet girl, been together a long time now, huh?” He gently boops her nose. “Long enough for you to know better than to mess with Curt and Rod.”

Curt and Rod? They must be other dateables in the house. Your curtains and the rods that hold them up, you assume from their names. You wonder what they must be like.

She meows innocently.

“Oh really? I guess the bottom of those curtains just tore themselves up then, huh?” He laughs

She meows affirmatively.

“I don't think so. Look at that sweet little face!” You coo.

“Haha, don't let her fool you, she's a little mischief maker.” He looks at you with a wide grin

“Awwww but look at that face!” You want to scoop her up and give her tons of kisses.

She lets out a cutesy meow.

“I belong to her now.” Your eyes sparkle as you come closer to the both of them.

“You're in good company.” He chuckles.

You look at Mateo with a pleading smile. “Can I pet her?”

You don't notice the way he looks back at you, your focus solely on being able to pet the small cat. Mateo himself isn't sure when he started too, but he has the look of complete adoration as he looks back at you.

“American cordhairs are pretty affectionate, but… she's a little, well picky.” He looks back at Sprite for a moment. “If you want to try and pet her, just hold your hand out and let her sniff you. If she headbutts you, then you're safe. If she just stares at you though…”

You give him a determined nod. He nods back and lets you pet Sprite. You hold out your hand and let her sniff it. The cat is cautious at first, then sniffs your hand. After a few seconds, she butts her head onto your hand. You let out an excited gasp as you began to pet her. She's surprisingly soft for being made of wires. Sprite purrs under your hand and you can't help but feel giddy. Being chosen by a cat is such a wonderful feeling.

However, to both of your surprise, Sprite jumps out of Mateo's arms and into yours. You barely catch her as she settles into your arms, and you can't help but let out an excited squeal.

“Oh my gosh, Mateo..!” You turn to him with a wide smile.

Sprite purrs in your arms as you continue to pet her. You scratch under her chin, and she lets out a content meow. Your heart is melting with absolute cuteness. You can't control yourself as you hug the inanimal, pressing your cheek against her face.

“You're so cute!”

Sprite lets out what can only be described as a meowed version of a groan, but continues to let you hug her like that.

“Well… would you look at that.”

He looks at you with amazement. Mateo was the only one able to hug the little creature like that, so seeing Sprite give you permission to do the same is amazing. 

You are amazing.

You seem like such a natural with her. He wanted to take you to the shelter to introduce you to the others. Then he remembers what he was doing before you arrived.

“I was really hoping to find him before it got too late.” You pause for a moment from playing with Sprite, as he begins to speak again. “There's a few places I haven't checked, but I really need to get back to the rescue. Things can really start to, uh, unravel if I stay away for too long.” His face falls.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” 

He waves his hands up. “That's kind of you to offer, but I'll figure something out. I'm sure you have other things to worry about!”

“Really, it's no trouble!” You insist.

“Are you sure? Davi is my responsibility. I really should have been watching him more closely…” He places a hand on the back of his neck as he faces away from you. “It just doesn't feel right, asking someone to fix my mistake.”

“It's really no trouble. I want to help find Davi in any way I can.” You say, Sprite meowing in your arms.

He gives you a grateful smile. “Alright, if you're really up for it. I do have something you could do.”

“Hit me!”

“You know Phoenicia right? I haven't had the chance to meet her yet.”

You nod. “I do!”

“I put together some information on Davi, in case he didn't come back tonight to try and make posters. But maybe you could ask her if she'd be willing to make a post on Placebook about him and get word out…” He then proceeds to bring out a packet. “Do you think you could talk to her for me? I can give you the packet I made, it's got everything she'll need.”

“Anything you need! I've got a soft spot for strays.” 

You place Sprite down to take the packet from him. Sprite doesn't go far from you. She circles around your feet, before placing herself right on top of them in a loafing position. You take a look in the pack and see he really put a lot of thought into it. You see a picture of Davi, such a big, colorful, and playful looking lad he was! Along with it was a very detailed description of what he looks like (in case the picture wasn't enough), his height, weight, favorite food, commands he responds to, and so much more. Mateo clearly loves him, and you were gonna do whatever it takes to help him find it.

“I can see that.” He laughs. “Me too! Obviously.” He bends down to scratch behind the cat's ears, and she lets out a soft meow. “Betty keeps joking that I'm going to run out of space for them all.”

“You've got a big heart. I'm sure they're grateful to have you!”

He wanted to say you have quite the big heart as well, but he decided to keep that to himself for now.

“If you're interested, you could always come by the rescue and we could talk more!” He offers as he stands back up.

You smile excitedly. “I'd love that!”

“Great!” He mirrors your excitement. “Thanks for offering to help.”

“It’s no problem.” You grin.

“No really.” He gives you a soft look. “You have done so much for me already.”

“I… have?”

Mateo smiles. He turns around so his back is facing you, as he holds the ends of his robes up to show off as much of it as possible.

“Does it look familiar?”

You gasp. You see all the places you stitched up from the blanket on his robe. You go up to him and reach your hand out to touch your work, but pause and look at him. He nods, giving you permission. You trace your hand on the areas where the holes used to be. Now that the stitches were bigger, you can see how uneven they were.

“Oh gosh. I’m so sorry the stitches are so uneven!” You cover your face in embarrassment. “We’re you walking around like this?”

“Hey, hey! It’s nothing to worry about.” He laughs and turns back to face you. “I’ve been meaning to thank you for patching me up. It’s made catching up with the inanimals much easier.”

You peek through your fingers and see him give you a soft smile. You remove your hands from your face and let out a sigh.

“You’re welcome.” You smile back.

His face falls a little when he remembers he has to go back to the rescue without finding Davi. He hopes Phoenicia will be willing to help. He takes a step to turn around.

“Well… I guess I better head back.” He says, using his thumb to point behind him.

“Oh, wait!”

Mateo pauses before he leaves. Your face heats up as you hold your hands together. There’s been a thought running around your mind since you saw him, a question you wanted to ask. But now that you’ve called him to ask, you feel embarrassed to ask him. You look away from him and close your eyes tightly, trying to gather up the courage to ask him. You’re silent for a minute, but he waits patiently for you to speak. Finally, you look back up at him.

“Can I hug you?”

Mateo's face lights up at your request, his cheeks turning a few shades darker. He doesn’t say anything. He simply opens his arms out as an invitation for you to hug him. You immediately smile and hug him. His arm wraps around your waist and you're engulfed in his robes. He smells like fur and grass, an odd combination, but it was somewhat comforting. He feels so soft and warm, that you can’t help but let out a long sigh as you bury your face into his chest.

Mateo can feel his heart racing faster as you do that, and he wonders if you can hear it. He rests his head on top of yours and lets out his own sigh. The hug was nice, and he didn’t want to let go. Then he hears you giggle into his chest.

“Thanks.” You look up at him with a grateful smile. “Sorry if this was a weird ask. You just look really huggable.”

“Really now? Well you’re welcome to ask for hugs anytime.” He laughs. “I’ll make sure to freshen up next time. I probably smell like wet fur and dirt.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” You lower your head back to rest on his chest and close your eyes. “It’s nice.”

His grip around you tightens and he hides his face in your hair. He really didn’t want to let you go.

Much to both of your dismay, you eventually have to let each other go. You wave goodbye to one another as he scoops up Sprite in his arms, much to the cat's disappointment. Mateo hopes that the next time you meet, he’ll have found Davi and you’d be able to spend more time together with the other inanimals.

~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner, you took a shower and changed into some comfortable pajamas. When you come out of the bathroom you stretch your arms out and head straight for your bedroom. Smile as you jump onto your bed. You lay there for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Soon you turn to your side to grab your stuffed bear, and an idea pops into your head. Reaching for your dateviators on the bedside table and putting them on as you look at your phone to see that the bear was next on the list. You are thrilled to see that you can talk to it.

You sit up and place the teddy bear beside you. Then you focus your gaze on it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Teddy didn't know how long he was sitting in that box. Months? No, that was wishful thinking. Years? Yeah, that sounded right. In reality it had been decades.

The old homeowner used to love carrying him around everywhere they went when they were younger. They would play in the playground, go to school with them, and always stayed by their side during bedtime. All that play time did some damage to his body. His clothes and one of his arms had tears, his bowtie was constantly being undone, some days he would be missing his hat, and he even lost one of his button eyes. He didn't mind it at the time, seeing them as signs of love as he was constantly played with. He considered them their best friend, and loved them very dearly. But as time went on and they grew older, they started spending less time together. Soon, he was sitting on a shelf in their closet by the time they had started college. It was very cozy, don't get him wrong! And it still gave him the chance to see them whenever they needed to grab clothes.

But it started feeling very lonely, and he became more aware of the aches and pains of his body.

Then one day while they were putting things in the attic to be stored away, he was placed in a box. It was sad in hindsight, how happy he was for a moment when they held him. Until he was surrounded by nothing but darkness and sealed away.

He kept telling himself that they would come back for him one day. And that being in this box was a way to keep him preserved and safe.

Years went by, just him in the box.

One day he met a peculiar woman, dressed from head to toe in black. Introduced herself as the embodiment of memories. She was interesting to say the least, with her appreciation for the dark and morbid scaring him a bit. But she knew you very well, and they ended up reminiscing about you together. It was comforting having someone to talk to again. Unlike him, she was able to come and go as she pleased. She kept him up to date with everyone in the house, and whatever the previous homeowner was up to.

When she told him about the dateviators, he thought maybe this was his chance to speak to his best friend. His new friend was willing to help him.

When he heard their footsteps in the attic, and began to speak with the lady, he prepared himself. She brought up looking through their boxes to find a teddy bear they used to play with.

“How old do you think I am, five?” He hears them scoff. “Even if it was still in there somewhere, I don't need it anymore.”

His heart sinks.

After that interaction, she came to him and they sat together in silence for a while. No words needed to be spoken, he was relieved to just have company.

Eventually, he heard about the move, and he lost any hope of seeing his friend ever again. He knew in his heart at that point, that his box wouldn't even be taken with them, and he would spend the rest of his life there in the dark.

Then one day a bright light showed above him, and he felt himself being picked up. It took a few seconds for his eye to adjust to his surroundings, but when it did he was surprised to come face to face with you. You lightly patted him as dust, he didn't realize he collected, flew out of him.

“I think I had a bear just like you when I was little.” You say with a smile.

Then you hugged him. It was gentle and full of so much love, it was easy to feel. At that moment he didn't realize how much he wanted to cry.

After you found him, you immediately cleaned him up, fixed his bow, and even gave him a new button eye. It was strange, having sight return to his other eye, but it gave him more of a chance to look at you, and to see everything and everyone in the house again. There were so many familiar faces he was able to reunite with, and some new ones that heard about his situation. You gave him space in the bed to stay, and hugged him at night. Even when the mornings came and you moved enough at night to let go of him, you always placed him back on the bed and returned to him again at night.

He was so grateful to you, he wished he could meet you properly and give you a big hug. And he was more than happy when Skylar and Maggie gave him that opportunity.

So he continued to sit on your bed, and patiently waited until it was his turn.

~~~~~~~~~~

Soon he appears before you. His massive stature and soft materials he wears produces an almost irresistible urge to hug him, and the aura of safety he emanates certainly doesn’t help. His clothes look very fluffy as he wore a bowtie and cap, but they also look very worn out. His colors were dulled down, as there are signs of wear and tear on his jacket. As you look into his eyes, you realize one of them was a dark, almost black, shade of brown, while the other was a deep blue.

“Well, well, well. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” He says, his voice deep and comforting.

“Thank you!” You smile. “That's really nice of you to say.”

“You are very welcome!” He smiles back. “You’re so kind to express your gratitude like that. I feel like that’s a bit of a lost art these days.”

Hearing that, you can't help but smile proudly.

“It’s just so nice that you can really feel your gratitude. It’s one of my favorite things. Right behind fresh hot chocolate warming a mug in my hands.” He closes his eyes.

Then he starts listing a lot of other great things, such as popcorn, and long walks surrounded by nature. They all sound wonderful. It makes you want to make your own cup of hot chocolate listening to him.

“There’s a lot to love around us, huh?” He asks, opening his eyes and turning towards you.

You smile and nod your head, can't help but agree. Despite all of your meetings yesterday, you felt your perspective shift after meeting everyone today. There is so much love around you. It was just harder for others to show it, and you were willing to find out and help everyone so that they can show their love again.

“What’s some of your favorite things?”

“Ohhh, hot chocolate sounds really good right now!”

“I’d love to make you some sometime.” He immediately offers. “I must’ve made hot chocolate a hundred different ways in my life, and every time… it’s just the best!”

“I'd love to try it sometime!” You say eagerly.

“I think at this point I might be mostly made of hot chocolate. Not that I’m complaining.” He chuckles. “Tell me. What brought you around to see me?”

“Just wanted to introduce myself, I guess.” You say.

“Well I'm glad you're here. I'm Teddy.” He introduces himself. “And since you've expressed your gratitude, I'd like to express mine.”

“Oh?” You say, a little surprised.

“Yeah! I honestly don't think I can express my gratitude enough.” He begins. “I was in that box for… who knows how long?” A somber look washes over his face as he faces away from you.

You reach to grab his hand, giving it a light squeeze. He turns to look back at you, and squeezes your hand back.

“You… you've given me another chance at life. To see my friends, to see the sunlight, to be able to make hot chocolate again.” His smile returns. “You've also given me the other half of my sight back.” He gives you a wink with his blue eye, making you gasp in realization. “So… thank you.”

He reaches out to you and pulls you into a big hug. You feel tears forming in your eyes and you blink them back, as you hug him. That sounded so awful, and you're so glad you found him that day. His hug is so comforting. It feels like hugging someone you've known your whole life. When you let go of one another, you grab his hand again and you rub circles around his hand, which he was very grateful for.

“Now normally, it’s advice in the daytime, stories at night.” He sighs. “But I’m a bit tuckered out today. I was helping Betty look around the bedroom for Davi.”

“Oh! I was just with Mateo!” You give him a hopeful look.

He shakes his head sadly. You frown, disappointed and worried by the news. He uses his free hand to pat your head.

“You and Mateo will be the first to know if we find anything. Don't you worry.” He reassures you. “If you’re still willing, wanna hear some advice?”

“Yeah, sure!”

“Learn how to throw a really good punch.” You are very thrown off by his words, and he laughs at your expression. “Now, hang on there. I’m not saying to go around punching everyone right this minute.”

“Oh, oops.” You blush.

“But ya learn to throw one. A solid one that comes from the hips.” He balls his fist up and does a quick demonstration, making sure to punch away for you. “It’ll make you stronger, make you feel powerful and more confident in yourself. And if you’re anything like me, it makes ya feel pretty darn cool too.”

“Huh. That's a cool way to think about it.” You grin. “I think I'll give it a try!”

“I’ll be cheering for ya!”

“Thanks, Teddy!” You thank him.

“Stay frosty!” He bids you, before you take your glasses off.

~~~~~~~~~~

Skylar feels herself appear before you the next day. It’s quite early in the morning, but she’s excited you’ve come to see her and she puts on a big smile.

“Welcome!” She greets you. “What can I do for you-”

She gets cut off when she suddenly feels you wrap her arms around her in a tight embrace. She's so caught off guard that she almost loses her balance, but you're able to keep her in place. 

“Thank you.” She hears you whisper in her ear.

Skylar’s smile softens in realization, as she returns your hug.

“Like I said, anytime.” She then pulls you away and holds your shoulders with a wide grin. “Now, tell me everything!”

Chapter Text

You smile as you walk up to the magnifying glass that sat on display in the patio. While Skylar didn't say what she did to help you, she mentioned that she wasn't alone in her deed. Maggie was the one that updated the Roomers app to guild you towards the previous dateables. You want to thank her, so when you arrive in front of the magnifying glass, you slip on your dateviators and focus your gaze on it.

When she appears before, she is deep in thought. Her eyes are closed as she has her notepad in hand, and a pen tucked on her ear. She doesn't notice your presence until you speak.

“Hello!” You greet her happily.

Maggie's eyes shoot open and her head snaps towards you, making her glasses fall slightly down her nose. When she realizes who you are, she rolls her eyes and turns back to her notepad.

“Oh. Hello again, suspect.” She says, sounding very uninterested.

While it's true Maggie doesn't want to talk to you, as she takes the pen from her ear and begins to write on the paper. She's more focused on her current case.

She used to invite the previous homeowner to help solve her cases, thinking it would be nice to have a partner help her. They also seemed interested at the very least to tag along with her, and at first, the company was nice. Until they constantly started criticizing her ideas, or told her her cases were too easy. Despite the fact that they themselves always had the wrong ideas and clues and never solved anything themselves. They were also terrible during interrogations, immediately jumping to accusing any suspect as guilty. Which made it more difficult to get any information from anyone.

You stand there awkwardly for a few seconds. Then you take a deep breath and let it out  slowly. You are just here to thank her. If she doesn't want to talk with you afterwards, you will leave and give her space.

“I heard about what you did.” You speak again, and you see her shoulders tense up. “I just want to say thank you.”

Maggie is caught off guard when she hears that. She takes a moment to turn back towards you. She sees you give her a genuine smile, and she could feel her cheeks beginning to heat up. She wasn't expecting you to speak to her, especially after how she treated you when you first met. She crosses her arms as she looks to her side, letting some of her red hair fall to one side of her face.

“There's no need for that.” Her eyes dart towards you, then back to her side. “It was Skylar’s idea.”

Your smile widened. You’ll take it.

You are ready to say your farewell, but you notice with the notepad Maggie is holding is an envelope and an interesting looking paper. You can’t help but let your curiosity get the better of you as you ask her.

“What’s that?”

She lifts up her hand with the papers. “I'm hard at work on my current case… I've been hoping for a breakthrough.”

Your eyes sparkle in delight as you clasp your hands together. “Are you really a detective?”

Maggie can’t help but puff her chest out with confidence. “I am! Maggie M. Glassbury at your service! Perhaps you've heard of me? I've acquired a modest reputation as a result of my previous work.”

“What are a couple of your best known cases?” You eagerly ask her.

Maggie puts a hand on her hips, positively radiating pride.

“Why, it was I who solved the mystery of the missing sock!” She declares.

“That was you!?” You grin. “I was wondering how my other sock suddenly appeared back in the closet.”

“A brief interview with the Stackables and a chat with Dirk was all it took to sort that case out.” She explains. “The sock was in the depths of Harper's hamper.”

Harper the hamper, you take note of another object you could meet. But who could Dirk and the Stackables be? It wasn’t as obvious what object they could be based on their names. Maybe they are also in the laundry room, since that’s where your hamper is. And you can’t help but laugh to yourself, of course that’s where your sock would be. It should have been obvious for you, but you're glad Maggie was able to find it.

“I'm glad someone got to the bottom of it!” You beam. “You’re pretty amazing.”

Again, Maggie wasn’t expecting your praise. She really doesn’t want to admit it, but she regrets being rude to you during your last conversation together. The detective had been observing your interactions from afar to see what you were like. She was so sure you would be like the previous homeowner. But with each dateable you spoke to it became clear that you are nothing like them. You were kind, gentle, and patient with everyone.

Truth be told, the reason she did not want to talk to you wasn’t because she disliked you. It’s because she’s ashamed of how she acted and how she jumped to conclusions without any facts. That was not something a detective should do.

 She pulls her hat down to cover her eyes.

“O-of course I am!” She huffs. “That’s just what a good detective does.”

“What mystery are you trying to solve now?” You ask.

“Lately I've been taxing my lens to the utmost on a very interesting case. I'm trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious love letter!” Maggie says. “It was delivered to Dorian last night.”

“Tell me more!”

Before she realizes it, Maggie begins to let her guard down. Your excitement rubs off on her, very happy to be able to speak to someone else about her case. She adjusts her hat to properly look at you.

“At approximately 2AM, an unknown suspect dropped off a letter for Dorian. Upon opening it, Dorian discovered that it carried clear romantic intent! That is to say, it was “asking him out!” She begins to explain. “It describes how his protective and gentle presence had won over the writer's heart. If interested, he was to write back as soon as possible.”

“Sounds good so far.”

“Here's the catch. The letter wasn't signed with a name… just a monogram.” She grins, holding a finger up. “Though he might be hesitant to admit it, Dorian was quite taken by the letter. He isn't certain whether he wants to write back until he knows more.”

Your curiosity has been thoroughly peeked. How fascinating! A real life mystery! A secret admirer, a love letter, and it’s for Dorian. 

“If you'd be open to it, I'd love to help!” You offer excitedly.

“You… would?”

“Yeah! Let's get into it!”

Maggie feels a little uneasy. It’s been a while since anyone has helped her with one of her investigations. She did not want any distractions, especially if it would hinder her case. But as she stares at you, your face full of earnestness and a genuine sense of wanting to help, she makes a decision to open up to you.

“The case is pretty thin… but we've got a couple of clues.” She opens her notepad. “First of all, the paper the note was written on was very interesting. Second, although the letter wasn’t signed, it did have a single initial on it. Finally, I think Dorian might have a clue for us.”

“What’s interesting about the paper?”

“I have it here… semi-transparent, and very thin. It doesn’t seem like ordinary paper, at all.” She closes her notepad and stands beside you, allowing you to take a good look at the note.

You both try a few things with the paper. First, you cut a corner of it with a pair of scissors. It cuts like normal. Second, you try burning another corner of it. Maggie focuses her magnifying glass on it, and when it begins to smoke and catch fire she immediately stops. Maggie notes that it burns slower than normal paper. Next she asks for you to get a glass of water. You hurry over to the kitchen and fill a small glass with water. When you come back with it, she dips a corner of the paper into the glass. It dissolved.

Maggie looks over her notes and her eyebrows furrow. It definitely wasn’t normal paper, that part is obvious. But she can’t figure out what kind of paper it is. While it did cut like regular paper, it burned much slower. That would imply that it should be thicker than normal paper, but it was thin. And the fact that it dissolved in the water left more questions than answers.

As she taps her pen impatiently on her notepad, an idea pops into your head.

“Let’s taste it!” You suddenly blurt out.

She gives you a weird look.

“Taste… it?”

“Ah, I know this sounds weird, but I think I have an idea of what it is. But we have to taste it.” You try to explain.

“If you say so…”

It was an odd idea, and something Maggie wouldn’t have thought of. But without any other ideas, she’s willing to give it a shot. She rips a corner of the paper and gives it a lick, and her eyes widened.

“How interesting! It’s edible, and tastes slightly starchy.”

She rips a small piece and hands it over to you. You take a lick and you grin.

“It is! This is rice paper!”

“How did you figure it out?” Maggie questions you.

“Well, I’m not much of a cook, but I’ve watched a lot of cooking shows. Plus my mom was a great cook too!” You smile proudly. “I thought it looked like rice paper, especially since it burned pretty slowly, even though it was thin. Perfect for making spring rolls!”

Maggie is impressed. She wasn’t expecting much from you, but the way you are able to connect the pieces so quickly is impressive.

“Okay, next. This is what’s on the letter.”

You read over the letter. The contents are so sweet, especially with how they describe Dorian. It makes you want to giggle and kick your feet. You hope that you’ll be able to help Maggie find the secret admirer so Dorian can have a chance to go on a date.

There is one thing that catches your attention.

“That’s a stylized letter M. Could it be a first initial?” You point towards it on the paper.

“Seems likely.” She lowers the paper and looks at you.

“Alright. Let’s have a chat with Dorian.”

You follow her, until she finds Dorian. He was standing in front of the kitchen door, facing away from the both of you. She clears her throat, and he turns to face you both.

“Hello there, you two.” Dorian greets, as professional as you last saw him.

“Good to see you, Dorian. I’ve enlisted the human here to help solve the case of the mystery letter.” Maggie greets him, and you wave from behind him.

“Oh. I’m shocked you asked for their help.” He says, looking behind the magnifying glass to stare at you.

“I didn’t exactly ask or want-” She peers over to you, and for a moment she sees a sad look flash in your eyes. “-I mean.”  She clears her throat. “Can you repeat what you said to me earlier?”

“Well, when I first opened the letter, I caught the faintest whiff of what I think was… truffle. Strange, no?”

“Could it be something else?” Your head tilts sideways.

“Truffle happens to be one of my favorite flavors.” Then you see a soft smile form on his lips.

You smile as he describes how the smell of the forest dwelling fungi brings back fond memories of the wooden provenance he’s from. Whoever wrote this letter must really like him to pay attention to his interests. It gives you a giddy feeling, and makes you hope that you’ll find someone who would remember little details about you like that.

“Anyhow… Good luck! Let me know if you happen to figure out who it was from. I’m not one for love… but I am one for truffles and friendship.”

Maggie finishes writing on her notes and thanks him for the information. Then she bids him farewell and turns around to leave. You give him an eager wave and bright smile before you turn around to follow Maggie. The end of Dorian’s lips slightly curve upwards, and he can’t help but think about how adorable your eagerness to help the magnifying glass is. He catches himself and quickly shakes his head before putting on his usual stone face, then turns around and goes back to guarding the room.

“I’ve narrowed it down to four suspects.” Maggie reads from her notes. “Penelope, Mitchell Lynn, Mateo Manta, and Freddy Yeti. Who do you think it was?”

You give it some thought. You can easily remove Penelope and Freddy Yeti from the list. Although you have never met them, none of their names start with the letter M. You have met Mateo, but from your first interaction, it didn’t seem like something he would do. Which left only one person left.

“I think it’s Mitchell Lynn.” You say. “I haven’t met him yet, but his name starts with the letter M, the initial that’s written on the paper.”

“So does Mateo Manta.” Maggie counters.

You nod.

“Yeah, but I don't think it’s him, mainly because of how food based everything seems to be.” You explain. “Mitchell Lynn sounds like “Michelin”. A Michelin star is given to restaurants with exceptional food.” You place a hand under your chin and close your eyes. “He sounds like he’s food related in some way. And considering it was written on rice paper and has the scent of truffles, I think it has to be him.”

“Wait a minute… I think you might be right!” Maggie smiles widely. “Michelin is a food critic and does quite a bit of cooking as well.”

“Really?” You can’t help but smile proudly, being able to figure that out.

Maggie looks over all of her notes again with Michelin in mind. The note being written on rice paper. Michelin is known to have very elegant handwriting, just like the very stylized letter M the note is signed with. And truffles is also a very sophisticated ingredient used for cooking, the kind he would typically use in his recipes.

“You… you did it! You helped me crack a case… without even knowing the suspect at all!” She looks up at you from her notes. “I’m impressed.”

“I’m happy to help!”

She can’t believe how quickly the both of you were able to solve the case. You are so perceptive, and seem to have good intuition.

“I’ll let Dorian know that the identity of his secret admirer has been discovered.” Maggie folds the note and carefully tucks it back inside the envelope.

“That was so much fun.” You can’t help but grab Maggie's free hand. “Can I join you again in your next case?”

 “O-oh sure!” Maggie’s face immediately begins to heat up. “... maybe we could have tea before we start investigating too.”

As your smile widens, clearly very pleased with her suggestion, she can’t help but think to herself.

Her heart is in a lot of danger.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Oohh coming in hot, whatcha got for me?”

Phoenicia is pleased to feel herself appear before you. She looks around to see that you are both in the living room again. She was always busy posting, doing lives, and making sure she was up to date with the latest trends and fashion, but she was always ready to make time for you. Especially now that she can have time for you face to face. However when she sees you, sitting on the couch and your expression is one of worry, making her immediately on high alert.

“I could really use some help, if you don’t mind.” You say.

“Sounds serious. What’s the deal?” She asks, sitting beside you and grabbing one of your hands.

Phoenicia knows you enough to know if you came to ask for help, it was serious. She knows you to be the type of person who would do things by themselves. Not because you were too prideful to ask for help, but because you didn’t want to bother anyone with your troubles. If you could do a task by yourself, you will, even to your own detriment.

“It’s Mateo. One of his inanimals is missing.”

She nearly jumps from the couch. “An inanimal emergency?!”

You nod.

Now she knows it’s serious. You have quite the soft spot for animals. You absolutely love watching cute animal videos, and occasionally scroll through shelter’s websites online. Constantly debating whether you should adopt one or not.

“Who’s in trouble? What do we need? How can I help? Give me answers!” She says, very quickly.

“His name is Davi, one of Mateo’s rescues.” You begin to speak.

Phoenicia summons screens and a virtual keyboard. Her fingers begin flying across the keyboard as you’re speaking.

“Already typing something up as we speak!”

Although you could not see anything on her screen, you watch in amazement with how fast she’s able to type. You haven’t even given her the pamphlet from Mateo, but she already has something to write. And she’s only typing with one hand!

The reason she’s only typing with one hand is because her other hand is still holding yours. You smile when you feel her give your hand a light squeeze.

“Did Mateo give you any helpful info I can put in here? Anything eye grabbing? We need some cute buzzwords to get things attention.” She asks, still frantically typing.

You pull out the pamphlet with your free hand. “Everything you need is in here.”

Phoenicia takes a moment to stop and take the pamphlet from you. She is able to skim over it, getting the most important details about the inanimal. She hasn’t met Mateo yet, but she’s very impressed with the amount of detail he was able to put in the pamphlet. It was very organized too.

“Perfect! Leave it to me, honey. Missing inanimals are no joke. We’ll get this baby home!”

You let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully this will help speed up the search for Davi, and he’ll be able to reunite with Mateo. As Phoenicia continues to type away, you rest your head on her shoulder and continue to watch her. She stops for a moment when she feels you, but she immediately gets back to work, a soft smile spreading across her face.

“Oh, I’m gunna do a live later to generate some engagement for the post But first,” She finally finishes her post and waves her screens away, then turns to look down at you. “How are things holding up, honey?” She places her other hand on yours.

“Huh?”

“Oh, you know.” She gives you a concerned look. “I heard about what happened on your first day.” She huffs. “No need to listen to those haters hun. I know what you’re actually like, and pretty soon they will too. You just gotta keep shining like you always do.” She pumps her fist in the air. “Show ‘em who’s boss!”

“Thank you, Phoenicia.” You laugh, very grateful for her encouragement.

She smiles at the sound of your laughter, happy she’s able to lighten your mood.

“I also have to ask.” She grins mischievously as she leans in to whisper. “Got any hot tea you heard from anyone?”

“Haha, no sadly.” You chuckle.

“Awww pooh.” She pretends to pout. “Well…”

She swipes her hand in the air and her screens and keyboard appear once more.

“Would you like to sit with me for a while and see what the hot gossip around the house is?”

You can’t help but smile at her invitation. Just like when you first met, Phoenicia is as warm and inviting. You nod your head and keep it placed on her shoulder as you turn towards her screen. You see her make a few more swiping motions, but you still couldn't see anything. You squint your eyes.

“I don’t see anything.”

“Oh really?” She looks between you and her screens. “I guess you can’t see my Placebook feed even with those fancy glasses of yours.”

You didn’t need to know about the gossip around the house, but you were hoping to spend more time with Phoenecia. She sees your face fall a bit with disappointment.

“Hey, hey now. Why the long face?” She places a hand under your chin to lift your head back up. “Just cuz you can’t see, doesn’t mean I can’t fill you in on all the tea you're missing out. And I can always tell you about what I’ve been up to.” She winks.

A smile returns to your face. “I’d like that.”

Phoenicia is ecstatic to have someone to share her ideas and things she’s seen online. Being one of the newer objects of the house meant she hasn’t grown particularly close to anyone yet. She’s sure she hasn’t even met everyone yet. So she’s been relying on Placebook and other social media platforms to get to know some of the other objects in the house. It was also very comfortable because she is already familiar with you.

You both end up losing track of time and end up spending hours looking through Phoenicia’s Placebook feed and listening to Phoenicia’s ideas for future posts. You even made an appearance during her live when she discusses a call for action when looking for Davi.

~~~~~~~~~~

Betty is surprised when she feels herself appear before you. It isn’t even night time.

She wasn’t expecting you to want to see her since she wasn’t much for conversation when you first met. It wasn’t because she did not want to talk with you. There were a few factors that kept her from being her best self when you two first spoke. One is the fact that she doesn’t get much sleep. She’s struggled with insomnia for years. It’s something she’s always found ironic considering she’s a bed, and her job involves sleep. Another was that she wasn’t sure how to speak with you.

She was always very good at making sure the previous homeowner was comfortable and happy in bed. Whether it was helping them relax after a stressful day and helping them fall asleep. Or indulging in whatever fantasy they have in bed, she was always ready to fulfill whatever they needed.

But that was all she was ever good for. They always reminded her of that.

Whatever feelings she was feeling, whatever thoughts and opinions she had, and whatever she wanted, she always had to push aside to make sure that the homeowner was happy and comfortable with her.

Now that you are the new homeowner, she knew almost nothing about you. You didn’t speak as much in your sleep compared to the previous homeowner. And despite what you thought, she couldn’t see much of your phone whenever you were doomscrolling on your bed at night. She wasn’t sure how to mold herself to fit your wants, so she tried to be as safe as possible when you first interacted with one another.

But here you are standing in front of her right now, a bright smile on your face.

“Hiya!” You greet her. “We didn’t get to talk much last time, probably since it was already late.”

You see her shift uncomfortably in place, as she rubs one of her arms. She doesn’t know what to say to you. A concerned look washes over your face as you reach out to grab her hand. She flinches at your touch, but relaxes when she realizes you're only taking her hand in yours.

“Hey, it’s alright if you don’t want to talk or anything.” You rub comforting circles on her palms. “We can talk another time. Or you can send a signal or something whenever you're ready.” Then your eyebrows furrow in thought. “Wait… what kind of signal can you make since you’re a bed…” Then you giggle. “Maybe you could pull the sheets off of me when I’m sleeping.”

They way your hands are gently drawing circles on the palm of her hands, and the way you speak so gently to her with such patience eased something inside her.

“Thank you, darling.” She finally speaks. “I’ve been acting a little silly haven’t I?” She laughs nervously.

“No it’s okay. I kinda get it.” You say, shaking your head.

She hesitates for a moment, then she asks. “Are you comfortable when you sleep?”

“Yeah, definitely!” You smile. “I have really nice dreams when I sleep too.”

Betty lets out a relieved sigh. “I’m glad. I can’t say I’ve been so blessed-”

She pulls her hands away from you as they shoot towards her mouth. She let slip out that last sentence. When she sees the worried look on your face, she mentally scolds herself for not being able to control her words.

“What do you mean?”

She wants to lie, but she couldn’t think of a good explanation for what she said. A defeated look falls on her face as she anxiously twirls a few strands of her hair with her finger.

“It’s just that…” She pauses for a moment. “I haven’t slept well for years now, to tell the truth.” Then she waves her hand dismissively as she closes her eyes, putting on her best smile.. “But it’s not something I want you to worry about, alright? All I care about is knowing you’re sleeping soundly.”

A bed that has trouble sleeping? That sounded awful. Especially because she says it’s a problem she’s been having for years. You yourself did have trouble sleeping as well, so you understand how she feels. You wanted to help her, but what could you do?

She doesn’t hear a reply from you. When she opens her eyes, she’s surprised to see you staring intently at her. Your eyes are narrow and your eyebrows furrowed. Immediately her heart races faster and her palms start to feel sweaty. She couldn’t quite put what your expression meant, but it didn’t look good. Did you not like what she said?

Suddenly you snap your fingers and grin.

“I’ve got it!” You suddenly blurt out. “Let’s take a nap!”

She blinks. “Right now…?”

“Yeah!” Then you wave your hands in front of you. “Oh well, I mean you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable. I just thought it would be nice. Maybe having company would make you feel more at ease?” A light blush appears on your face. “ Do you want to try? And we don’t have to cuddle or touch or anything. We can put a pillow in between us so you’re more comfortable.”

For the first time, you see Betty give you a genuine smile.

Your words and suggestions make Betty’s heart swell with love. The way you wanted to make sure she was comfortable first and ask for her permission was something she wasn’t used to. And because of that, she wants to give it a shot.

“Well, there’s no harm in giving it a try.” She smiles, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

You smile eagerly as you tell Betty you’ll quickly change into some pajamas. When you leave the room, she sits on the bed and patiently waits for you. She can’t help but giggle when you return wearing the fluffiest pajamas you own, along with a pair of fuzzy slippers and an eyemask wrapped around your forehead. You were clearly going above and beyond for something as simple as a nap, but she appreciates the gesture. You close your curtains to dim the room and before you close the lights, you approach the wall where an air conditioning grate is attached.

“Excuse me, Hector! Can you lower the temperature a bit, please?” You call out.

Almost immediately, the temperature drops lower and you smile.

“Thank you dear!” You thank him. “Make sure to take a break later, okay?”

You couldn’t see him, but his cheeks flushed a deep red as he had a big grin on his face. Knowing that you thought to ask for his help gives him great pride. He makes a silent promise to follow your orders and take a break later, but only a short one. He could not bear the idea of not providing air for you for too long.

Soon you find yourself on the opposite side of Betty as you both lie down. You pull the sheets over your body until it reaches your chin, letting out a satisfied sigh. Betty is pleased to see you very comfortable as you lay on the bed. She does her best to make herself comfortable. She lays flat on her back and stares up at the ceiling.

“Do you want a pillow in between us?”

She turns her head to see you laying on your side and facing her. She shakes her head and mirrors your position.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind.” She replies.

Then you reach your hand out to her. “May I hold your hand?”

She’s taken back by your request, but nods her head. She takes your hand in hers and lays them in the middle of the both of you. You give her one last grin before you close your eyes and immediately fall asleep. Maybe it was because you didn’t feel alone laying with Betty, but it was the fastest you have ever passed out.

Betty giggles as she hears you start to snore. It was soft and gentle, just like you. She watches as your chest rises and falls with each breath you take. She tucks strands of your hair out of your face and she thinks to herself. She couldn’t possibly fall asleep with such a cute human beside her. She just wanted to keep staring at you.

In the end, she didn’t fall asleep, but this time she wasn’t upset. In fact, she hopes you both will get the chance to do this again.

Chapter Text

Today you decide to try and get into shape. You aren’t necessarily out of shape, but the previous homeowner left a lot of sports equipment, and had an entire room converted into a home gym. It would be a waste not to use any of it and it would be a great way to stay healthy. You change into a more comfortable set of clothes for exercise. As you entered the room however, you weren’t sure where to start. There is a treadmill, exercise ball, a yoga mat, and a weight rack that are out in the open. Checking the closet, there are an assortment of rackets, sports balls, and even seasonal sports equipment like hockey sticks. Seeing all of your options makes your decision much harder. The most you did anything sports related was when you had mandatory Physical Education classes in school. You also tried going to a gym, but that didn't end up working out. Is there a specific sport you’re supposed to start with if you’re new?

Then an idea pops into your head. Maybe you could ask someone in the room.

You leave the room for a bit to retrieve your dateviators. You put it on and return to the gym. When you return, you immediately see an aura surrounding all of your sports equipment. You walk towards the yoga mat, it seems like the least intimidating one. Then you focus your gaze on it.

A gorgeous, muscled man dressed in various pieces of sports equipment appears before you. You watch him go through an entire squat routine, and it’s clear that unlike you, this guy has never struggled to maintain an athletic routine. He’s so focused, that he doesn’t even notice you staring at him. You grin, confident this guy would be able to help you out. But should you wait for him to finish? Would it be rude to ask for help in the middle of his session? How would you get his attention?

Luckily you didn’t have to do anything.

He stops mid-squat when he bends down and peers at you through his legs. He’s so caught off guard that he bends too far and loses his balance, falling to the ground. You quickly go to his side, kneeling on the floor and grabbing his arm.

“Oh my gosh! Are you hurt anywhere?”

The man groans as he sits up, rubbing the back of his head with his eyes shut tight. His head is throbbing, but he knows it’s a pain that won’t last. When he opens his eyes and gathers his thoughts, he sees you beside him with a very concerned look on your face. His eyes widen as he blushes.

“Oh wow. This is super embarrassing.” He laughs nervously. “I usually have better balance than that.”

“Are you okay?” You looked him over and couldn't find any obvious injuries.

“Yeah, no sweat.” He crosses his legs and grins. “I’ve had way worse injuries. It just happens sometimes when you’ve been doing sports as long as I have.”

You let out a relieved sigh. You sit down as well in front of him, a hand still on his arm.

He takes a few deep breaths to center himself. He really wasn’t expecting to see you here.

Even before the previous homeowner left, they left the room untouched for a while. Especially after he met them. He was ecstatic at first, happy to have someone to exercise with. They seemed very eager to get back into shape, and he was more than willing to help. But just like with his past experiences, everything started going south. They started getting upset that they weren’t meeting their goal as fast as they wanted to. He explained multiple times that getting into shape was going to take time. There’s not a one way routine to getting fit. But they kept pushing and pushing to do more until their body wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore. They were also a sore loser. Getting angry whenever they lost a match, or making everything competitive just to prove a point. While he thought it started off light and fun, it quickly devolved to making sure they were always a winner.

He hasn’t had the chance to see what you were like, and truthfully, he’s been very worried about meeting you.

This is his first time seeing you here since you properly moved in, and not to quickly grab something or clean around. He can tell from the way you are dressed that you are here to exercise.

“How about we start over?”

Despite his worry, he decides to go with the flow and see how it goes.

He stands up and clears his throat. Suddenly a spotlight shines on him from… well you’re not quite sure where.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” His voice booms. “NOW ENTERING THE STADIUM… THE KING OR THE RING… THE DUKE OF DUNK… THE JACK OF ALL TRADES. MASTER OF FUN.. MR… DUNCAN… “DUNK”... SHUTTLECOCK!”

He introduces himself very dramatically, almost like a stadium announcer. He goes through a few poses that make his abundant muscles pop, looking at you with the grin of a confident athlete. You can’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm, as you begin to clap your hands and cheer.

Seeing you cheer for him, he can’t help but bask in your attention for a moment. It’s been a while since he’s had an actual audience. It makes him feel good.

“Don’t worry about remembering all those names, that’s just stuff that makes me sound cool when I hit the court… or field… or wherever I’m playin’!” He grins, taking a seat in front of you again. “Dunk is just fine for pals.”

“Dunk.”

A warm feeling forms inside of you. Having him already consider you a friend fills you with so much joy as you smile towards him. In the same way Dunk can’t help but mirror your smile when you say his name, taking it as a good sign you already accepted his friendship.

“So, what made you finally decide to come around these parts?” He asks.

“Well…” You rub the back of your neck with a timid smile. “I want to start exercising. I never really got the chance to before because I was always busy.” You explain.

“Ahh man, I get it.” He gives you a sympathetic look as he puts a hand on your shoulder. “Life gets so much sometimes… but you gotta make time for yourself too.”

Dunk gives your shoulder a little squeeze, which you found comforting. Then he’s slapping you on the back so enthusiastically you nearly collapse, clearly not knowing his own strength.

“I’m glad you’re here now. Your inner athlete said, “Let’s get it baby!” He put his hands on his waist. “And who are we to say no to your inner athlete?”

You laugh. “Actually, I was hoping to get some advice. I don’t really know how or where to start.”

He is so excited to hear you say that. So far, you seem like a good sport and eager to learn. Although he is still worried that might change in the future, he couldn’t turn down someone as genuine as you seem down. He stands up and reaches a hand towards you. 

“Well my friend, you came to the right sports equipment!” He grins widely.

You smile as you take his hand. He, rather strongly, pulls you to your feet. Just like before, he underestimates his own strength, and you lose your footing. You shut your eyes and brace yourself for impact onto the floor, but nothing comes. Dunk immediately catches you as you collide onto his chest instead of the ground. You cling onto his shirt for a moment, your heart racing as your breath quickens. You haven't even started training, but you already feel the wind knocked out of you.

“I'm so sorry!” Dunk wraps his arms around your waist for support as he apologizes. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah just-” You press your cheek against his chest as you catch your breath. “-give me a sec.”

You both stay in that position for a minute, with Dunk supporting your waist as he rubs your back. When you recover and you pull yourself away from him, and he profusely apologizes again. He needs to make a mental note to keep his strength in check.

“So coach, what do we do first?” You smile expectantly at him.

Dunk takes a moment to look you up and down, trying to evaluate your body and what you’ll need to work on. Physically you seem to be in okay shape, nothing obvious was sticking out to him. He heard from the others that you spend most of your time sitting down. Whether it’s in front of your computer for work or on your couch scrolling aimlessly through your phone, you need to focus on improving your strength, flexibility, and your body’s circulation. Yoga would be great for you! He could already think of a few poses that would work wonders for your body. The exercise ball would also be-

He takes a moment to pause his thoughts. Then he shakes his head. No, he needs to make sure to give you simple exercises to start you off easy. He didn’t want to intimidate you and scare you away.

You wait patiently for Dunk’s instructions as he seems lost in thought. Then you see him shake his head and his eyebrows furrow, making you tilt your head slightly. What could he be thinking about that’s making him look so worried?

Soon he shakes his head again and then claps his hands together, a big smile coming back to his face.

“Alrighty! Let’s start off with something simple today.” He starts. “Since this is your first time doing sports and exercise in a while, I’ll teach you some warm up stretches.” He holds a finger up, a very serious expression washing over his face. “It’s very important you stretch before you workout, especially when first starting off. We have to ease your body into the exercises, or else you might cramp up or pull a muscle. And it’s gonna be real painful.”

You nod your head in understanding.

Dunk begins to demonstrate some of these warm up stretches and explains how each of them helps your body. You make sure to pay close attention and watch his movements carefully. Soon it’s your turn to give the stretches a go. You copy Dunk to the best of your abilities and find that they weren’t too challenging. It did feel a little pathetic when you bent down and could barely reach your toes, and when you lifted one of your legs up and held in close to your body, wobbling a bit as you tried to balance yourself. But you never feel concerned about hurting yourself, because you see Dunk is attentive and makes sure you are safe. He is always within arms distance when you feel like you’re about to lose your balance, and he holds your hands and carefully moves your body into proper position. His touches are gentle, yet firm. If you both weren’t working out, it would have felt very intimate, and you do your best to keep your composure and keep your face from heating up.

Dunk, although he was hiding it better than you, was also feeling very flustered. He wasn’t used to having such a patient workout buddy, especially someone who felt comfortable with his touches, and was paying close attention to his instructions. He can tell you are very serious about starting your workout, and it delights him to no end.

After an hour practicing these warm up stretches you do one last big stretch with your hands in the air and tiptoeing. Although the stretches themselves aren’t complicated, you did manage to work up a bit of a sweat. Your body starts to relax, and your body feels lighter somehow.

“So, how are you feeling?” Dunk asks as he tosses a towel over to you.

You catch it immediately, surprising yourself. “I feel great! I feel like I unlocked my libs. I caught that towel so much faster than I thought I would!”

You put the towel around your neck, then throw a few punches in the air and kick your leg up excitedly. Teddy was right, that did make you feel pretty cool!

The man laughs at your antics. He finds your pure joy adorable. He walks over to you and hands you a bottle of water, and takes the towel from your neck. You thank him and begin to drink the water. The cool drink feels even better after your workout.

“Yeah, you'd be amazed how much just stretching will improve your flexibility.” He says, placing a hand on your cheek and begins to wipe the sweat off your face. “And don't let your sweat dry up. You could get acne or a skin infection if you make it a habit."

The towel feels very soft against your skin. You smile contentedly with your eyes closed as you continue to let him care for you, enjoying the physical touch as a light blush spreads across your cheeks. Once he's done drying your face and neck, it hits him how close he is to you. Very comfortably close, he could almost-

You open your eyes suddenly, almost making him jump back. You give him a curious look because of his silence and because he stopped wiping you. Then you give him a smile. His face turns red as he realizes the thoughts that are entering his head. He pulls himself away from his thoughts as he clears his throat, taking a step away from you.

“Y-you did great today!” He praises you.

“Thank you!” You say.

You walk towards the nearest wall and lean your back against it, then you let yourself slide down until you're seated on the floor. You let out a long sigh as you close your eyes. Dunk follows you and sits down beside you.

“Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you properly worked out?” Dunk asks, turning his head to face you.

“Well I had to do it a lot in school back when we had PE. I started slacking off when I got to college though.” You laugh, keeping your eyes closed. “I tried going to a gym a couple of times when I started my first job but…”

He sees you open your eyes and stare at the ceiling. You're silent for a minute with a somber look in your eyes.

“It was pretty clear I didn't belong there.” You continue to speak. “I didn't know where to start, what to do, or how to use some of the equipment there. People gave me funny looks, snickered, or talked behind my back. It made me afraid to ask anyone for help, cuz I didn't wanna be judged anymore than I already was.” You finally turned to face him with a strained smile. “I probably looked really stupid.”

Dunk’s heart broke for you as he frowned. That all sounded terrible! How could humans be so mean to someone just starting off their workout journey? If someone is new, of course they're not gonna know what to do! You're supposed to help and encourage them, not make them feel worse. What upsets him the most is the sad look on your face. He knows from personal experience that that feeling sucks. The thought of someone as nice as you being treated like that makes his blood boil. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down.

“I'm so sorry that happened to you.”

He places a hand on yours, and you didn't notice until that moment that they are balled up into fists. You relax at his touch, opening your hands so you can properly hold him. He gives it a light squeeze, careful not to let his strength harm you. You squeeze back with a soft smile. You rest your head on his shoulder and close your eyes. What a sweet guy.

“Thanks, Dunk.” You say. “But I don't have to worry about that anymore. I've got a pretty great personal trainer now.”

Hearing that makes Dunk grin excitedly from hear to ear. He lets go of your hand to wrap an arm around your shoulder to pull you even closer while his other arm flexes dramatically.

“Hell yeah baby!” He cheers. “I'm gonna put the fun back in sports for you! And I'll be there to help you every step of the way!”

You lean in closer to him and laugh.

“Hell yeah!” You repeat, fist pumping into the air.

You spend some more time with Dunk, sitting and figuring out what your first proper workout will be. He advises you not to do anything too straining for the rest of the day, and to take a relaxing shower after you leave. When it's time to leave, Dunk offers you a high five, making sure you're the one to slap his hand instead of the other way around. You give him one final wave, and he eagerly awaits for your next session.

~~~~~~~~~~

You have your dateviators on while cleaning up the crawl space when you notice an object on the ground you can interact with. It’s a small cylindrical capsule with a lot of faded and scratched stickers on it. You pick it up and examine it. The stickers were hard to see, but the ones you can see are very 80’s inspired, and you can’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia wash over you. You wonder what kind of a person they could be. With the capsule in hand, you focus your sights on it.

You weren’t sure what to expect, but a large cryogenic tube covered with tape both sticky and cassette, is the last thing on your mind. There's a clear window at the top and you can just barely make out someone inside.

“Hey man! Is that you out there?” The person’s voice is muffled, you can barely make out what he says. “Please let me out dude. I won't bother you again, I promise!” He sounds very much in distress

You rush immediately to them. You place your hands on the tube to find a way to free him. An opening, a loose tape you can pull, a handle, anything that would open up. However, you couldn’t find anything. The tape is wrapped tightly around him, and would not budge no matter how much you try to rip it off. How could he have gotten stuck inside?

“Oh no! How do I get you out of here?”

“Whoa. You sound really different homebuddy.” He comments. “All you gotta do is open up the capsule.”

Immediately, you open the capsule in your hands, and you watch as the tape of the tube begins to unwrap itself. Soon, the real tube underneath all the tape is revealed, and you're able to find a handle to open up a door. A cloud of dust blows to your face, causing you to cough and shut your eyes. You wave your hands in the air to clear it, and you hear the other person begin to cough as well. You blink a few times as the dust begins to settle, and you finally get a good look at who was in the tube.

The tube behind him has vanished, leaving only the man behind. Just like the stickers that decorate the capsule you found, he too looks like he came straight out of the 80’s. His hair is long and curly, made up of cassette tapes. There are even various cassettes in his hair! His outfit consists of a pair of light blue shorts with foam headphones around his waist and a black jacket with more cassette tapes attached to his sleeves, floppy disk looking pockets, and a bunch of colorful designs. He was nostalgia given form.

He stumbles towards you, hunched forward as he catches his breath, and you rush to his side.

“Easy there, hon.” You fan the dust away from his face as you rub his back.

Once he composes himself, he turns towards you with a wide grin. The man pulls you in for a tight hug with a loud cheer.

“Yeah! Free once again! The 80’s is still surviving and thriving, baby! Ohho, yeah!” He lets go of you and furiously shakes your hand. If he wasn’t careful, it feels like he would accidentally rip your hand off. “Thank you so much for the save, amigo! I was starting to seriously freak out in there.”

When he’s done shaking your hand, he finally gets a proper look at you and realizes you aren’t the homeowner he’s familiar with. He pauses to look around the room. Who are you, and how did you get access to the dateviators? Last he checked, the homeowner would never let some rando even see the glasses. He squints his eyes at you, although you couldn’t see it with all his hair covering his eyes.

“Hold the phone. You’re not the homeowner.”

You give him a welcoming smile. “Actually, I am. I’m the new homeowner. It’s nice to meet you!”

“Oh, word?” He sounds surprised. “I didn’t know they decided to split.”

He never caught wind of this news since not many objects come to the crawlspace. Then again, he was stuck in that capsule again for who knows how long. The previous homeowner didn’t like him much and ended up sticking him back inside that tube, so maybe it’s for the best that he never crossed paths with them again. But the idea of a new homeowner feels so strange to him. All he hopes for is for you to be a little nicer than them, and not lock him back up in that tube.

“How long have you been stuck in there?’ You ask, a concerned look on your face.

“Oh man. A long time, dude.” He places a hand on his forehead. “I legit have no idea how long I was in there.” Then he shakes his head with a friendly expression on his face. “But it’s so awesome to meet you! The name’s Bodhi, and I’m the 80’s personified!” He pulls an electric guitar from somewhere, playing a very loud and intense note as he strikes a pose.

Hearing that you begin to put some of the pieces together and you hold up the capsule. “Oh! This is a time capsule!”

“Most definitely!” He grins. “There’s some real gems in there if you have the time to look in it.”

“I will! I love the 80’s!” You say excitedly.

“Hell yeah, compadre! And the 80’s loves you back!” He laughs, feeling his worries about you begin to slip away.

“I wonder what stuff they left behind in here?” You say with an excited smile, hugging the capsule close to you. “My dad was such an 80’s kid. He introduced me to a bunch of music and movies from his time! Maybe I’ll find something in here he would have loved…”

Bodhi can see the soft look on your face as you reminisce about your dad. The small smile that forms on your lips, and the way you hold the capsule with such care, he can’t help but feel his heart flutter.

Your reaction to him is way different compared to the previous homeowner. When he first met them, they immediately found him annoying. They hated the way he dressed and spoke. Saying he was “cringey”, whatever that meant. He still wasn’t quite sure, because when he tried asking what that word meant, they only scoffed and said he’d figure it out soon enough.

“Sounds like he was one radical dude.”

“Totally.” You smile, trying to match his language.

Hearing you try and connect with him through the way he speaks gives Bodhi a warm feeling in his chest. When the previous homeowner mimicked him, it was always in a mocking way. Some way to make fun of him. However, he can tell from the way you were speaking, there is no ill intentions. He wanted to spend more time with you, very interested in getting to know the new homeowner. Especially someone who seems to know the 80’s like you do, or at least is very interested in it. But being trapped in that tube again really stressed him out, and he can feel his body needs a good stretch.

“I’d love to hang out with you. But first, I need a minute to “decompress”, if you know what I mean…” He says, quickly stretching his arms up.

“No totally! I get it. I can only imagine how hard it was being stuck in a tube.” You nod in understanding. “Is there anything you need?”

“Nah. I might just bop around the house a bit if that’s cool?”

“Yeah! Go right ahead!” You smile. “Get some rest and we’ll chat later. I’d love to hear all about your time! I bet you’ve got some outrageous stories.” You giggle.

“Oh for sure, homebuddy!” He chuckles. “Alright then. I’ll be around, just chillin’ like a villain. I’ll teach you the ways, Daniel-San.”

“You got it, Mr. Skiyagi!”

“You are gonna be a bodacious student, I can tell.” He grins, delighted you immediately got the reference. “Okey dokey smokey, just gonna shut the peepers and recuperate.”

You wave each other a goodbye, both of you looking forward to your next encounter with one another.

~~~~~~~~~~

While you were chatting with Dunk, he mentioned a few others that were into sports, but one of them stood out to you.

“The Hanks are a colorful bunch.” You remember him saying. “Very into extreme sports. I definitely advise avoiding doing anything they do for now, but I think you should meet them! A very exciting and encouraging group, you’ll love ‘em!”

Which leads you to your closet. They’re supposed to be your hangers according to Dunk. You open your closet and stare at your hangers for a moment with your dateviators on.

Five handsome himbos in colorful jumpsuits are chatting animatedly amongst themselves and are facing away from you. You see them walking around with various equipment and tools. However, when they feel your presence, they freeze for a moment, then put all of their things down in a pile and huddle together in a circle and whisper loudly to one another.

“Yo my dudes, they’re back..!” You hear the one in green whisper.

“What do we do, dawgs?” The one in red asks. “They haven’t come to see us since we cut ties with Red Bowl.”

“Maybe if we stay like this, they won’t see us.” The one in orange suggests.

“Oh..! Like, if we can’t see them, they can’t see us..!” The one in purple adds.

“That’s so genius bro.” The one in blue agrees.

As they continue to discuss with one another, you shake your head and can’t help but giggle at their antics. You can clearly see and hear them, but it was funny to think they thought that plan would work. You decide to speak up.

“I’m so sorry if you’re busy. I can always come back some other time.”

They all go silent upon hearing your voice. Nobody moves or says anything. Then a head peaks out from the circle to look at you. The ginger hair’s eyes widen as a blush spreads across his cheeks.

“Woah.”

He seems very star struck when he lays his eyes on you. You give him a warm smile and wave your hand.

“Hi! Do you guys need some time alone?” You ask as you use your thumb to point behind you. “I can go.”

“What? No!” He immediately stands up straight and saunters towards you. “What’s the rush, gorgeous? You haven’t had the chance to check the place out.” He takes one of your hands and bends down to place a kiss on the back of it, making you blush lightly.

“WHAT?!”

You look past the man in blue that’s standing in front of you and see the four other men’s heads snap towards the both of you. When they see you, they also look at you with shock. You give them all the same warm smile.

“Hello!”

Suddenly you find yourself surrounded by the five men, all speaking in rapid fire sequence.

“Hold on a minute. You look different, homie.”

“And sound different.”

“Did you get a hair cut?”

“Or maybe it’s your clothes.”

“Did you change genders?”

“Is that even possible?”

“Yeah my guy! Technology is crazy!”

“Dudes, I think this is someone new.”

“Someone new? Where did the first someone go?”

“Maybe the old someone turned into this new someone.”

“That would be wild!”

“No, I definitely think this is a new human.”

“That’s so sick! A new human!”

“When did we get a new human?”

“Wait, was this what the house meeting with the mayor was about?”

“Did no one attend it?”

“I think we were too busy fixing up the equipment and forgot about it.”

All of them speaking and asking questions at once started making your head spin. It was a little overwhelming, and you aren’t sure who to answer first or what to say. The one in the green jumpsuit notices your discomfort, and gently pulls you towards him and away from the middle of the group.

“Hey, hey slow down, guys! They’re getting overwhelmed.” He says to his buddies. He wraps an arm around you and gives your arm a comforting rub.

“Oops, sorry homie.” The one in red apologises, the others echoing the apology after him.

“It’s okay. It’s wonderful to meet you all!” You introduce yourself. “Yes, I'm the new homeowner. I just wanted to pop in and introduce myself.”

“Aww man, it’s too bad we didn’t know you were coming. We didn’t have time to clean up the digs.” The one in orange gives you an apologetic look.

“But it's our pleasure to have you here, dude!” The one in green gives you a shy smile.

“Our pleasure for sure.” The one in blue goes to your other side and also wraps an arm around you, shooting you a flirty wink.

The one in green gives him a look that says, “behave.” In return he gives him a cheeky grin and sticks his tongue out, making his friend roll his eyes.

“How's it hangin’, homie?” Red asks.

“All good fam!” You happily say, trying to mimic their speech as well.

“Word!” The one in purple grins, revealing a tooth gap, which you find adorable.

They are all so excited to have you around. They could all collectively feel themselves wanting to bounce off the walls with excitement. It's not everyday they get to meet someone new. Your energy is so much more welcoming and relaxing compared to the previous homeowner. 

“Well, what are you waitin’ for? Slide on in here and take a load off!” Orange says.

“And anything else you wanna take off…” Blue wiggles his eyebrows.

“Welcome to the extremest dojo in the pad! The perfect place to sit back, chillax, and recharge your batts.” Red chimes in.

“Tight!” You say.

“Right now you're hanging with the wildest, dopest, gnarliest squad of bussin athletes around, homie!” Orange begins.

“THE HANKS!” All five shout.

“Wait, so if you're the “Hanks”, does that mean you're all named “Hank?” You ask.

“Yup!” They all say in union.

“How can I tell you all apart?”

“Numbers are kick ass!” Orange exclaims. 

You feel the two men beside you pull away as they join their friends. The Hanks all stand in formation, each of them striking a unique pose as they introduce themselves. You get the distinct feeling they do this often.

“I'm Hank number 1!” Orange starts, giving you a salute.

“I'm Hank number 2!” Red continues, flashing a peace sign with both of his hands.

“I'm Hank number 3!” Blue says, blowing a kiss towards you. 

“I'm Hank number 4!” Purple cheers, pumping his fists into the air.

“And I'm Hank number 5!” Green flexes his muscles, although you can tell he was a bit shy about it.

You can't help but laugh. Dunk really wasn’t kidding when he said they were a colorful bunch. Their excitement and enthusiasm is rubbing off on you, and you can't stop smiling as you watch them.

“That makes sense! Numbers are kick ass!” They all smile proudly when you say that. “What are you guys up to in here? I hear you guys are pretty sporty.”

“That's right! We're the wildest, most fearless, gnarliest squad of extreme athletes in the house.” Hank 3 puffs his chest out with pride.

“We base jump, we lava board, we cheese roll!” Hank 1 starts listing the sports they do, and it makes you wonder what exactly a cheese roll sport is.

“If something is hot enough, we'll ride it all… night… long…” Hank 3 shoots you another wink.

“We laugh in the face of danger!” Hank 5 exclaims proudly.

“Even though we probably shouldn't…” Hank 2 laughs nervously.

“We've tasted the adrenaline of them all!” Hank 4's grin widens even more.

Hearing that piques your curiosity, and you can't help but ask, “What does adrenaline taste like?”

You weren't expecting a serious answer, but then Hank 1 looks you dead in the eyes and answers.

“Believe it or not, grape!”

“You wouldn't think that, but it's actually true.” Hank 5 pipes in, just as serious as Hank 1.

“High key slaps, brahhh!” Hank 4 adds.

“Quite the adrenaline junkies aren't you?” You chuckle.

“Oh we're way beyond junkie, hot stuff.” He flirts.

“It's legit insane, but no cap we live here with you!”

“We're casa roomies, amigo!”

“I've always wanted roommates!” You say, which is somewhat true.

Although you have gotten used to being by yourself, it was always a nice thought living with people you could get along with. Especially if they're as fun as these five seem to be. All of them are so unique and different, you imagine a day with them will never be boring!

“Right?! Life's way more gucci with friends!”

“Or friends with benefits…”

“Are you guys planning on doing anything today?” You ask.

“Well normally we would be.” Hank 5 starts.

“And we would have totally invited you to join us!” Hank 1 continues.

“But like, we're totally swamped right now trying to get our gears in check.” Hank 2 frowns.

“Awww. That's too bad…”

“Yeah bro…” Hank 4 sighs.

“You see, we used to have this sponsor, Red Bowl, that provided our wicked gear, gave us killer exposure, and provided the best medical support for when things got gnarly.” Hank 1 begins to explain.

“But then we found out that they were a wack sponsor!” Hank 2 says, sounding angry.

“What makes you say that?”

“It's quite the story, fam.” Hank 5 shakes his head. “Probably best we save that for another day. We were in the middle of fixing up our busted up stuff.”

“Well…” You peek over at the pile of equipment, and your lips begin to curl upwards. “If I can't be a part of your sport today, I'd love to hear about your previous adventures while you repair your things!”

You eagerly go up to the group and grab Hank number 2 and 3 by the hands and pull them towards their gear. Hank 2 can feel his cheeks warm up. He was so caught off guard as you ran to the equipment holding his hand that he stumbled a bit behind you and Hank 3. Hank 3 despite all his flirting, also wasn't expecting the sudden contact initiated by you. He holds your hand tightly though, and runs beside you with a blush on his face. Hank 4 and 5 run after you three, both with bright smiles on their faces. Hank 5 already adores you and is excited to tell you all about their previous escapades. Hank 4 is just happy to be there and is eager to learn more about their new human. Finally, Hank 1 just laughs and shakes his head, walking behind you all.

You all sit in a circle on the floor as they recount all their different adrenaline filled adventures while they repair some of their equipment. Hank 3 offers for you to sit on his lap, earning choice words from the group and a laugh out of you. You decided to indulge him as a joke and sit in between his legs, resting your back against chest. He freezes for a moment, but you're soon trapped in his embrace as he rests his chin on your shoulder. You had a blast listening to them, and they loved how much you were interested in joining their next big stunt.

You spend the rest of the day with the five men happily chatting away.

Chapter Text

You smile as you hold up the curtains that normally cover the windows of your living room. You noticed that the tops were hanging loose because it was starting to rip apart, and decided to sew it up as best as you could. Phoenicia was more than happy to help you find videos about sewing and then played them for you on your phone. After your encounter with Mateo, you want to make sure to do a better job at your stitches and plan to redo the ones on him. Especially after you realize that whatever you fixed would appear on them, and you're quite certain that your curtains were someone you have yet to meet. For now, you are proud of the improvement on your sewing as you examine the curtains. They're much neater and straighter than before.

You're so excited that after attaching the curtain back on its rod and placing it back onto the wall, you decide to meet it. It would also be a great chance to see if it looks as good as you're hoping. You grab the dateviators that sit on the table and place it on. After focusing your gaze on the curtains two men appear before you.

The first one has short curly black hair and wore a sleeveless black top with gold diamond patterns with gold fastenings that resemble curtain hooks, fitted white pants and a sheer overskirt that look like curtain panels. What stood out to you the most was the sky blue curtain half cape that looped around both of his arms. He does a quick spin that makes the curtain flow, showing off your stitched work with a smug look on his face.

“Are you seeing this, Rod?” He grins. “Feels so good! And looking extra fly, am I right?” He then turns to you.

The second one has short brown twisted dreadlocks and wears a deep red curtain draped across his chests held together by metallic rings that pierced through a thick curtain rod resting on his shoulders, a beige tunic with white lines and patterns, and black pants with the same gold diamond patterns as the first man. You notice the metal and rods that litter his clothes seem to be worn and rusted, and when he moves his arm it's very stiff. He crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

“Yeah yeah.” He then turns to face you too, his sharp eyes having a glint of mischief in them. “Now look at what you've done. This fool thinks he's top shelf, and it's gonna get to his head.”

“I uhh-”

“Excuse me? I've always been top shelf.” The first man places a hand on his chest, looking very offended. He walks over towards you and drapes an arm around your shoulders. “You'll have to excuse Rod, he just can't see talent when it hits him in the face. You have done great work.”

“I'm so glad!” You clasp your hands together and beam up at him. He can't help but grin back, a small blush forming on his cheeks.

“There you go, talk about me like I'm not there.” Rod huffs.

“Naw, I'm talking about you so you can hear. There's a difference.” Curt retorts.

“See, that's why your seams were unfinished!”

“My seams were unfinished? MY seams were unfinished?” The first man walks away from you to stand beside the second one, narrowing his eyes at him. “Keep talking, see what happens!”

“You ain't gonna do nothin’. You love me too much.” This time Rod places his arms around his friend's shoulders, sticking his tongue out.

“Yeah, okay. Don't say that too loud. Everyone else might start believing it.” Curt playfully shoves his face away from him.

They stop their banter when they hear you laugh.

“You two seem really close.” You smile.

Seeing their playful back and forth is very entertaining, mainly because you can tell that it was all in good fun.

The two of them are impressed you've caught onto that, instead of assuming they hate each other like most people do. Throwing shade is an art form not many people understand, let alone do it properly. The previous homeowner always tried way too hard to fit in with them by joining in their favorite pass time. It never worked out for them, and they always ended up taking it a step too far. And no matter how much the pair tried to ignore them, they always found a way to weasel themselves into the conversation.

“Curt and I have been together forever.” Rod starts.

“I'm like his brother.” Curt continues.

“But not my brother.”

“If we were related, you might actually be polished.”

“We both know you wouldn't look good unless you were standing next to me.” Then Rod goes over to your side and whispers in your ear. “Although, I would appreciate a good polish when you get the chance. I need to keep this guy in check by looking much better than him.” He winks before going back to Curt’s side, making you giggle as you nod your head.

“Who told you that lie?” Then they both turn to look at you again. “Say, who looks better? Me or this delusional drape I call my friend?”

Before you have a chance to answer them, you see a figure suddenly appear behind the pair and place a hand on their shoulders. They both jump a little in surprise, as Curt lets out a yelp and Rod places a hand on his chest.

“Now is that all you boys really have to say to them right now?”

The figure walks past them and goes towards you, and you're able to get a better look at her. Her hair is colored like a beautiful sunrise styled into a pixie cut. Her outfit consists of a sleeveless top designed to look like a window during the day time, a translucent curtain she wears like a jacket, and her pants looking like a window during the nighttime.

Soon she stops in front of you with a hand on her hip and begins to evaluate you up and down. She has an air of quiet confidence, someone who clearly knows who she is and what she wants.

“Been wondering if we'd ever meet face to face.” She has a sly smile on her face. “I'm Wyndolyn. And you… well you're quite the looker, aren't you?”

“O-oh thank you!” Your cheeks flush a little at her compliment.

“Umm… hello?”

You and Wyndolyn turn to look at the two boys as they both have their arms crossed, eyes narrow as they shoot daggers towards the new arrival.

“We're still here.”

“Oh I know.” The woman laughs as she stands beside you and puts her elbow on your shoulder. “But you boys told me when you'd meet our lovely new human here you'd have something you'd like to tell them.” She points a finger towards the two of them.

Curt and Rod glance at each other for a moment. Then you see that it hits them. Whatever the girl is talking about makes them look embarrassed as they both rub the back of their heads at the same time, looking away from you.

“Oh, that.” Curt coughs, unable to make eye contact with you.

“Well you see…” Rod begins, finally looking towards you again as he leans against Curt. “You know how your first day here was kind of a disaster?”

“And we mean like, yikes my dude. I've seen cars crash more gracefully than yo-” Rod elbows Curt before he can finish his sentence, making him winch in pain.

You grimace. “Yep. How could I forget?”

“And you remember how you went to the laundry room to get some rags and the window suddenly opened with the curtains flying towards you..?” Rod continues.

“It was Wyndolyn's idea!” Curt suddenly blurts out.

“Wow, way to throw me under the bus why dontcha.” She says, rolling her eyes. “That was not an apology!”

It takes you a moment to fully process what they say. Then you gasp, finally understanding what they are insinuating.

“Oh! Oh. Oh…”

“What? It's true!” Curt says.

“Yeah! We shouldn't have to be the only ones to apologize!” Rod holds his hands up in the air. “I didn't even do nothin’. This on both of y'all.”

“What? You were my support, dude!” Curt nudges his friend's shoulder. “That's being an accomplice.”

“Like I have much of a choice! I'm always gonna have to carry your ass around the house.” Rod rolls his eyes. “Besides, let's not forget, this was her idea!”

“I was getting to my apology!” Wyndolyn huffs. “I thought it would be funny watching you guys stumble around your apology first. Now I can see I was wrong.”

“You really know how to pick 'em, huh?” Curt looks at Rod. “This is who you used to crush on?”

“Shut up! I've grown out of that.” Rod groans.

As they bicker back and forth with one another, you can't help but use your hand to cover the laughter that wants to escape your lips. All this light arguing over an apology. To be honest, you don't hold any bad feelings towards them, even after now knowing it was them that caused it. You can't blame them for being cautious about having a new homeowner, even if it did suck they felt like they had to resort to something like that. And you were the unfortunate victim in their scheme.

“It’s alright guys. No hard feelings.” You finally speak up.

The three of them stop what they were saying to look at you. All three of them are very surprised how well you're handling the situation. They were expecting you to be angry, maybe say some harsh words, which they feel like they deserve. At the very least, you'd be some form of upset. But you looked at them with a bright smile on your face.

“Uh yeah. Right.” Curt sighs in relief. “Look, we really are sorry for what we did. That wasn't cool.”

“Yeah. We weren't sure how chill you'd be.” Rod's face turns to the side, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. “But you do seem pretty aight so far.”

“Yeah.” For the first time, Wyndolyn's confident aura wavers just a bit. “I'm all for the drama, but you didn't deserve that, good looking.”

You smile softly towards them. “Like I said, no hard feelings.”

“Cool! Cool, cool, cool!” Curt laughs nervously.

“Thanks.” Rod chuckles lightly. “If you ever wanna hang and throw some shade, swing by any window with us. We've always got something new to say.” He offers.

“Variety is the spice of life, baby!” His friend laughs.

“Sounds cool!”

“I'd love to have a chat with you sometime too.” Wyndolyn grins mischievously, then leans to whisper in your ear. “I've heard quite a scandal about your neighbors next door.”

Your eyes widen a bit hearing that. You couldn't imagine your neighbors next door having such a thing. They seem like lovely people. Then again, you haven't really spoken to any of them since you moved in. You weren't sure how to properly introduce yourself. Were you supposed to bring a gift? Prepare food like cookies or cupcakes to hand out like you saw on TV? It didn't feel right. You ended up overthinking so much you never ended up introducing yourself. All you know of your neighbors are the quick glances you see whenever they're out and about and you're near one of your windows. It made you wonder if they even know they have a different neighbor.

Then she pats your back and leans away from you. “A little something I’ve heard from the grapevine, but there are a few other objects I hear who are dying to apologize to you.”

“Really?” You say, a little surprised.

“Mhmm.” She hums. “Just a hunch, but if I were you I'd start at the Breaker Box. There's a pair of lovely fellows that I'm sure are just ecstatic to meet you.”

Wyndolyn gives you one final wink before she and the boys wave you goodbye and you all go your separate ways.

~~~~~~~~~~

Just like Wyndolyn suggests, you make your way to the small room that contains the house's breaker box. After your many incidents trying to do maintenance on it, you bring a pair of fitting electrical gloves stuffed inside your pocket. You'd rather be safe than sorry. When you enter the small room and see the breaker box attached to the wall, you adjust the spectacles on your face and focus on it.

Instead of anyone appearing before you, suddenly you find yourself standing in front of a dark door. You tentatively place a hand on the door and take a deep breath, unsure of what you'll find on the other side. Whoever Wyndolyn was talking about had to be behind this door. Right?

As you swing the door open, you realize you're somewhere more… stimulating. You're not expecting to be welcomed into a club. Its low electrical light glows warmly as live music drifts languidly from the sumptuous, velvet red stage and envelopes the audience in a pleasurable haze of pure vibes. The gentle clinking of cocktails in glasses rises from the wood bar to the left of you, and the laughter and chatter of others are heard from the seats closer to the stage. Has your house completely transformed or did your simple breaker box hold all of this?

Then a gentleman with a languid, easy air to him approaches you. His clothes are reminiscent of your breaker box, with switches decorating his vest and his oversized jacket that hangs on his shoulders having wires and outlets. What immediately catches your attention however is his long white hair that glows and sparks like electricity.

“Well now, what a delightful surprise.” The man greets you with his arms stretched out as he stops in front of you. “I was beginning to think I'd never see your face around here.”

You tilt your head a little. “I'm here at least once a week.”

He places a hand under his chin and closes his eyes. He seems to think for a moment. “Hmm are you sure you're not thinking of another closet? I'm certain this is your first time here.” Then he opens his eyes with a sly grin forming on his lips. “Trust me. I would never forget such a striking face.”

You blush a little at that comment. “Striking?”

“Oh yes, distractingly so.” He takes a step closer, and you realize how tall this man is. “I imagine it would be quite difficult to focus on anything else with you around.” He leans down a bit and your faces are much closer now. “Though, I can't say I mind.”

“O-oh. Thank you.” You're able to get a proper look at his eyes as he stares at you. They glow as brightly as his hair and you can't help but be mesmerized by them.

He looks pleased by your reaction as he lets out a chuckle. “You have quite the reputation around the house, live wire. I'm eager to explore it for myself.”

Then he pulls himself back and straightens his posture, placing a hand on his chest. He clears his throat.

“But we're getting ahead of ourselves! Where are my manners? My name is Volt.” He introduces himself.

He extends a hand towards you, and you take it. He lowers his head to brush his lips across the back of your hand. You feel a tingle linger where he kissed your hand, but suddenly you feel a strong shock from his hand onto yours. You pull your hand instinctively away as you hiss, rubbing your hand with your other as you hold it close to you. You feel your hand shake for a bit as the pain courses up your arm with a warm burning sensation. The feeling doesn't last for long, and fades almost as fast as it arrives. You see a flash of guilt wash over Volt's face as he also takes a step back.

“Ah my apologies.” He can't help but reach a hand out to you, wanting to hold and soothe the pain. But he holds himself back as his hand balls into a fist and he pulls back again. “It’s been a bit hard to control myself as of late.”

After recovering from the initial shock, you shake your head and give him a pained smile. “Oh no, it's alright!”

You stuff your hand in your pocket to fish something from it. Volt gives you a curious look, and is then surprised when you pull out a pair of electrical gloves. Once you place them on, you hold your hands up to him and wiggle your fingers.

“What do you think? I brought these just in case!” You say proudly.

Then you step towards him and grab both of his hands. He hesitates for a moment, but when he sees that you don't immediately pull away from his touch, he allows himself to relax and let you hold his hands. You rub comforting circles on his hands as you introduce yourself.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Volt! I hope you'll have me as your new homeowner.”

You try to mirror his gesture as you put both of his hands to your lips. He's about to warn you when you feel a small shock to your lips. He's about to apologize again, but this time when you pull away you start giggling. It's not as painful as before, but you probably should have seen that coming.

“Oops.” You laugh. “Feels a little unfair that I can't be as charming as you.”

While you are busy laughing at yourself, Volt can't help but think about how utterly wrong you are. He was charmed beyond belief by you.

“Oh I don’t know about that, live wire.” Volt’s grip on your hands tightens and he pulls you closer to him. Then he leans his head down to you and whispers in your ear. “I’m feeling quite charmed by you.”

His voice is low and it sends a shiver down your spine. When he pulls away and sees, even in the dim lighting of the room, the red that begins to color your cheeks, he chuckles. Feeling satisfied, he lets go of your hands and you’re a little disappointed at the loss of contact, but then he wraps his jacket around you. It’s a little heavier than you expected, but the weight feels comforting. He’s able to slip his arms around your waist without hurting you and turns you slowly to take in the rest of the room.

“Welcome to the Breaker Box, the pinnacle of luxury and entertainment, and the most exclusive club in the house.” He begins. “Impressive, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it really is. I kinda feel underdressed…”

You look around the room and see how nicely the people around are dressed. Then you look down at your own outfit, just some comfy house wear, and a pair of slippers.

Volt waves a hand in the air. “Nonesenes! Trust me, you look stunning.”

As you look at him, you notice something about him you didn't see before. With his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up just a little bit, you see faint red lightning patterns run along his arms. That same pattern is also seen on his chest creeping up towards his neck. Are they scars?

Suddenly something happens. A sound… the flickering lights… it can only be a power fluctuation. It happens so quickly that you would miss it if you weren’t paying attention. You look around to see if anyone noticed, but no one seems bothered by it. You’re certain it happened though. And you’re even more certain when, for a moment, Volt’s grip around you tightens. The lighting patterns along his body glows for a second, and he seems to winch in pain.

“Woah, what happened?” You glance up at the host, looking worried.

“What? Oh that? That was nothing, just a little surge. With this much energy coursing around, it’s bound to happen from time to time.” He answers nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

“Volt.”

A new voice startles you from behind. You and Volt turn to find the owner of the voice. The newcomer looks exhausted, frustrated, and annoyed. His sleeves are rolled to the elbow, revealing calloused and bruised hands that he wipes on a rag. You notice what look like black scorch markings on his fingers, neck, and parts of his arms.

“Eddie! Just in time to meet our guest.” He happily says.

The way Volt smiles towards him feels different. Much more genuine and softer than what you’ve seen from him so far. It’s obvious they’re familiar with one another, and he is someone Volt feels comfortable around. It makes your smile towards Eddie brighten as you mirror Volt’s energy. 

“The human? What are they doing here?” Eddie gives you a quick glance before turning back to Volt.

“Hello!” You greet him with a small wave.

“I imagine if we don’t poison the mood… They’ll be joining us for the headliner show.” Volt frowns as he lets out a sigh. Then his bright showman smile reappears on his lips as he looks towards you. “Joining us for tonight’s show, I hope.”

“I mean, as long as you’re here to guild me, I think I’m up for anything.” You say, matching his smile.

You can’t remember the last time you’ve been at a club, so you’re really going to have to rely on Volt for help. He seems like quite the smooth talker, but so far he seems like he genuinely just wants you to have a good time.

“Careful there live wire. I might just take you up on that offer.” He grins.

“Right… well have fun with that.” Eddie seems very uninterested with whatever both of you have planned as he rolls his eyes. “I finished the patch. I’m clocking out. Not my best work, but it’ll hold for now.”

“Ah, I see. And… you’re sure you’re… Feeling alright?” Volt asks, now looking very concerned.

“I-” You hear a spark sound come from him as he chokes on his words for a moment. “-I’m fine, just… don’t over do it.”

Eddie turns and trudges away, focusing on the rag on his hands.

“Is he okay..?”

“Of course! Eddie always is…” His words trail off.

He looks at you, and ponders. In the past, he had kept things from their previous homeowner, thinking that was the best option for both him and Eddie. In the end, it leant to nothing but misunderstandings, and the risk of losing his loved one. Perhaps… if he is honest with you, he could prevent any more damage from happening.

“Actually… if you’re willing to listen, I can set you up at one of our VIP tables and we can chat there?”

You smile. “Lead the way!”

“With pleasure!” He chuckles.

With a wink he takes your hand and leads you towards a VIP seat. Like a gentleman, he pulls out the seat for you and makes a very showy bow. You laugh and thank him as you bow back. You take a seat and he pushes the chair back for you before taking his own seat across from you.

“I do hope you'll forgive Eddie's rudeness earlier.” Volt starts, placing both of his arms on the table and resting his head on his hands. “His “human skills” leave something to be desired. Best to simply give him some space.”

“It's alright. I figured he was tired after a busy day.” You say.

“Indeed. He is always busy.” Volt lets his guard down to close his eyes and sighs. He feels himself slipping out of his usual welcoming host persona as he speaks. “That's part of the problem…”

He waits for you to say something, but all he's met with is silence. He opens his eyes and sees you staring intently at him. When your eyes meet, you give him a reassuring smile and nod your head for him to continue. He gives you a small smile back.

“You see, our previous homeowner worked our poor Eddie to death.” He continues, and you catch a hint of anger in the tone of his voice. “They constantly ruined things or simply didn't take care of how they used their power. Eddie was always up to his neck with constant maintenance work, and well…” He pauses for a moment and lets out a hollowed laugh. “I love him, but he's as stubborn as they get.”

He looks past you and doesn't say anything for a bit. You can't help but turn to see what he's looking at, and it’s Eddie. He's standing behind the wooden bar and wiping glasses with a towel as someone orders a drink. Didn't he say he was clocking out?

“You know, he created me in order to help him.” Volt begins to speak again.

“He did?” You turn back to him in astonishment.

“He did. I owe him my life.” He repeats with a somber look. “But he rarely asks for help from anyone, including me. He always thinks he can handle things by himself.” He places a hand on his chest.. “I hope you'll be patient with him.”

You reach across the table to place a hand on top of his. This is the first time one of the dateables has opened up to you about the previous homeowner since Skylar. 

“Thanks for telling me. I'll definitely keep that in mind.” You give him a grateful smile. “Eddie is really lucky to have someone like you looking out for him.”

He reflects your smile and he can't help but laugh. “Feels a little late to say this now, but I do also have to apologize for my behavior when you first arrived here.”

“Your… behavior?”

He nods his head.

“Considering you had the foresight to bring these,” He flips the hand that's under yours and places his other hand on top, lightly patting on it to gesture towards the gloves you're wearing, before he uses both hands to hold onto yours. “It’s safe to say I've hurt you enough to be weary of the breaker box.”

“Oh…”

“When you first arrived, I did hurt you on purpose. I was worried about you damaging Eddie any further. However, after I heard about everything you've been doing for this house, I began to realize that you've only been trying to help us.” He looks away, feeling guilty for his previous actions. “A part of me still has trouble controlling my power, so I apologize for the times you have been zapped by accident… and, most likely, will still be zapped.”

“I understand.”

The look you give him is so soft that Volt has to suppress the urge to cup your cheeks and absolutely squish your face. You are nothing like he was expecting when you first arrived at the house. He felt a little odd, like a load was lifted from his chest. Maybe it was because he spoke to you about what’s been troubling him for some time, but it made him wish it was just the three of you at the club tonight. Simply relaxing and chatting the night away.

Soon however, the lights seem to dim more as more people start to gather around the stage and take their seats. Volt sighs in disappointment.

“Well, looks like that’s my cue.” He turns to see the stage was being set up before looking back at you. “I do hope you’ll stay after the show. I’d love to chat more.”

He lifts your hand to him and is able to kiss the back of it without worrying about hurting you. You wave to him and with a wink, Volt hops nimbly up onto the stage. He was born for the spotlight.

“Good evening, you scofflaws and ducky whatsits!” Volt’s voice carries an air of confidence as he puts back on his showman persona. “Looks like Johnny Splash is gonna be singing for us tonight! Be warned, patrons, you might get wet.”

“Boo..!” You hear a voice from the audience.

Johnny Splash steps onto the stage as Volt leaves to mingle with the other guests. His handsome face is framed by glistening ringlet curls, and his clothing has a sterile, hygienic vibe. A stark contrast to the smoldering, sensitive artist you see. He certainly looks the part of a singer, and he holds what looks like your shower head as a microphone.

“Hi everybody. I’m Johnny Splash.” He greets the crowd. “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.”

Then he starts singing. He sounds less than professional, but he wasn’t a bad singer. The song he chose is a little odd, it’s about keeping the shower clean. If his attire and the fact that his microphone was the head of your shower, this song would have solidified that he is your shower. He sings with his eyes closed and a hand on his heart. He sings with such passion that you start to enjoy his performance. Once his performance is over, you smile and begin to clap for him.

No one else clapped.

“I’ve seen many bombs in my time, but that one takes the cruck-blasted cake.”

“Oof. Even I couldn’t clean up that mess.”

The audience begins to whisper and joke amongst themselves. You see his face fall.

“You didn’t like it? I thought it was okay.” He clears his throat. “I’ll retool it and come back with something even better! Just you wait!”

You watch as he calmly walks off stage and towards the door, and when he thinks no one is looking, he storms out of the club. You can’t help but feel bad for him, and you decide to check up on him.

The club begins to wind down as you get up from your seat. Patrons mill about talking amongst themselves. You try to find Volt to return his jacket, but he's nowhere to be seen. You do spot Eddie nursing a solitary cocktail at the bar, making you smile. He’s close with Volt, maybe you could ask him to give it back for you. You won’t take up too much of his time, especially since he looks exhausted.

As you make your way over to the bar, you see the man spots you and mutter something to himself.

“Fuck’s sake…”

“Hi. Eddie, right?” You greet him with a warm smile.

He hums. “Shows over. Clubs closing. And I’m not doing any more work right now so leave me alone.”

“Ah don’t worry, I’m already heading out.” You hold your hands up. “I’m gonna check up on Johnny. He seems really upset.”

You take off Volt’s jacket and place it on the wooden counter.

“I was just hoping you could give this back to Volt for me. I couldn’t find him.”

Eddie narrows his eyes at you before looking at the jacket. That’s all you came to him for? No prodding for information about him? No asking for him to fix the smallest errors you see? You’re not even going to order a drink?

He looks at you again, suspiciously. You just stared at him, waiting for an answer.

“Just leave it on the stool.” He turns away from you towards the shelf of drinks, grabbing one of the cups to wipe.

“Thank you so much! Please tell Volt I said thank you. Bye!”

Before he could respond, he turns back to you and sees you already rushing out the door. He stands behind the counter, a little stunned. Your interaction together was so brief, it almost feels like it didn’t happen. Had it not been for Volt’s jacket that you moved neatly onto the stool, he might have believed he hallucinated talking to you. Especially with all the sleepless nights he’s had.

“Eddie!”

Eddie snaps out of his thoughts as a familiar face approaches him.

Volt struts into view with his usually shining smile. He goes behind the counter and places a light kiss on his partner’s forehead.

“Hello my spark.” He grins, leaning against the counter. “Looks like it’s lights out for the club.”

“Mmm.” He grunts, finishing up the cleaning on the cup he was holding.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where our beloved new homeowner went?” He asks. “They weren’t in their seat after the show. I figured it would be much easier to find them now that most of the guests have left. But I haven’t seen them since the start of the show.”

“They said they had to leave early. Something about checking up on the shower.” Then he gestures towards the jacket sitting on top of the stool. “Oh. They also asked me to give that back to you.”

Volt’s smile seems to widen when he reaches over the counter to grab his jacket. He places it back on his shoulders, and Eddie can see the way his hair glows just a little bit brighter.

“They are quite lovely, aren’t they?” He chuckles.

Eddie rolls his eyes. “As long as they don’t get in the way, we won’t have any problems."

Despite how much he tries to brush off the topic, Volt catches the look in Eddie’s eyes. A look of uncertainty, but also a look of curiosity. And Volt instantly knew you already cracked a bit of his walls.

The pair wonder when you’ll visit them again.

~~~~~~~~~~

When you arrive at your bathroom the door isn’t closed all the way. You peek into the crack and find Johnny sitting on the toilet looking very dejected. He is hunched down with his face in his hands. You lightly knock on the door, making his head shoot up.

“Oh, jeepers! Who’s there?” He asks.

“We haven’t formally met, but it’s the homeowner.” You respond. “May I come in?”

He doesn’t say anything for a second.

“... come on in.”

With that you slowly push the door open and enter the bathroom. You close the door behind you as he composes himself. Johnny wasn’t expecting to meet you anytime soon, and he hates that you’ve come to see him when he isn’t at his best. But he wonders, what made you finally come to see him?

“I was just at the Breaker Box.” You speak softly. “I watched your performance.”

Hearing that makes him glare at you, before turning to look away.

“Have you come to make fun of me too?” He growls. “... like they did..?”

“What? No!”

He’s a little startled when you suddenly raised your voice. When he looks back at you, you seem horrified at the thought.

“I thought your performance was lovely!” You smile brightly with sparkles in your eyes.

Then he takes a proper look at you, checking you up and down. His eyes widened in realization.

“Hold on… you were the one who clapped at my performance.”

You nod happily. “I’ve never heard that song before. But watching you sing it so passionately made me enjoy it!”

A light blush spread across his face as he clears his throat. “That's a mighty kind of you to say, darlin’.”

You walk towards the sink counter and hop up to sit on it. “I came here to check up on you. Tough crowd tonight huh?”

He doesn’t want to admit that wasn’t his first disappointed crowd. The previous homeowner used to constantly put him down for his terrible singing. It did not help that they did, sadly, have a wonderful singing voice. They used to take classes when they were younger, and they loved bringing that up. Telling him that they could coach him, but it was obviously only to boost their own ego.

He had been practicing for days before his performance earlier. It was more than heartbreaking that after all his hard work, he failed…

… or so he thought.

You clapped for him. You came to check up on him. And you enjoyed his performance.

“Well as long as you enjoyed it, gorgeous. I’m just as happy as a pig in mud.”

You notice his demeanor begin to change. While he was much more hesitant earlier, he seems to relax a little as he straightens his posture. He has a small smile on his face when he looks at you now.

“You know, you’ve got quite the gorgeous voice yourself.” He leans against the poll of his microphone. “You should try singing at the Breaker Box sometime. Would be such a shame to keep that wonderful voice of yours all to yourself.”

“Huh?”

“Darlin’, I am your shower. I know how much you humans love to sing in the shower.” He chuckles, placing his head on his hands, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “And you put on quite a show when you sing. The voice of an angel.”

He has never seen someone’s face turn red as fast as your’s did.

“I- uhh.. Well you see- umm…”

You stutter and stumble on your words, trying to find an excuse. Seeing how embarrassed you’ve become is so adorable Johnny has to bite his bottom lip to prevent his smile from widening even more. He has been so worried about meeting you, especially after his experience with the previous homeowner. It seems so silly to him now because you have been nothing but a peach since coming to check up on him. And just the fact you came to check up on him in the first place before even meeting only shows him he had nothing to worry about.

“I appreciate you checkin’ up on me. You’ve really warmed the heart of this shower.” He stands up and approaches you. He offers a hand out to you and you take it. “I’d like to return your kindness with a long overdue apology.”

“You know, I’ve been getting a lot of those today.” You lightly joke, tightening your grip on his hand as you hop off the counter. “But go on.”

“I’m not proud to admit I threw quite the hissy fit on your first day here. Makin’ a mess of the bathroom with all that hot water and steam. I remember that nasty fall you had because of the wet floor.” He rubs the back of his neck and looks away in shame. “Bless your heart, you didn't deserve that. I hope you’ll forgive me, darlin’.”

You give his hand a light squeeze making him look at you again. “All is forgiven, dear.”

Johnny feels his heart race faster as he stares at you. He is more determined than ever to make sure that he never harms you again. He’s about to say something when a voice from the bathroom door cuts hims off.

“Lil’ Crapper went out for some fresh air and inspiration, but now he comes back to this pathetic display?”

You and Johnny turn towards the source of the voice. There’s a strange rapper standing by the door of your bathroom. He’s dressed in white and gold, but it was a little hard to take his outfit seriously. He wears a white jacket with the hood looking like a toilet seat and sweatpants, the texture resembling the porcelain of a toilet with a blue shirt underneath that looks like wet bathroom tiles. He had various chains and accessories that are made of the metal pipes and flexi-hoses, and a broken plunger beret. He leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed. When he speaks, he has a heavy French accent.

“If you two are done with your little pow wow, Jean Loo would like some peace and quiet to continue writing his next album.” The man says, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I hope you weren’t standing there for too long.”

“Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.” Johnny huffs. “Is that really all you have to say to them?” He wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you close to him as he glares at the rapper. “And you have nothing to apologize for.” He says to you.

“Excusez moi?” Jean Loo raises an eyebrow. Then he looks at you and it’s as if he just realized who is in the bathroom. “Ah, ce’st toi. The pipes in the other bathroom need to be replaced. It’s caused Lil’ Crapper’s pipes to be sore, and he needs them in order to express his art.”

You perk up a little hearing about something you can help with. “Oh sure! I’ll just-”

“Now hold your horses. That is not what I meant! ” Johnny holds you in place before you can move away. “You need to apologize to them! It was your idea to flood the bathroom.”

The rapper stuffs his hands in his pockets and shrugs his shoulders. “Jean Loo does not see any problem with what we did. A message only rivaled by his crapping.” Suddenly his gaze towards you is cold with an icy glare. “Do not mess with us.”

You gulp.

Johnny’s grip around you tightens and you peer at him from the side to see a dark expression form on his face. The other man seems content with both of your reactions and he turns around.

“Maybe Jean Loo will just practice in the other bathroom.” He waves a hand in the air. “Je me casse.”

And just like that, he leaves.

“He seems like a delight…”

“Pay him no mind” He sighs. “He wouldn’t know how to pour pis out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel.”

“I will have to fix those pipes at some point though.” You also sigh “Do you need anything done?”

“Maybe a good scrubbing of the floor would be nice. Got a lot of grime built up in between the tiles you see.” Then he lets go of you, realizing how long he's been holding you. “O-only when you have the time of course!”

“I’ll make some time for it this week.” You place a hand on his arm. “Thanks for letting me know.”

He melts at your touch.

He thought after his failed performance he would spend the rest of the night wallowing in the bathroom by himself. But like the first sunrise of spring, you melted his sad snowy night.

You offered to spend more time with him, and the two of you ended up chatting the night away.