Work Text:
The package you had been waiting weeks for finally arrived. You placed your order as soon as word got out that something so glorious as the Thneed had been created. You had only seen a handful of people wearing them even this long after the invention took off because there was such a heavy demand for them all throughout the country almost immediately. Today was finally the day you got your own.
The Thneed pink package stamped with the company’s logo was pristine. You delicately cut the tape away with a knife, careful to do no damage to the precious contents inside. Shifting through layers of packing peanuts and tissue paper you finally took out the soft material which had been resting inside.
It was partially unraveled. There must have been a weak point in one of the threads that came undone. Soon the garment would be reduced to no more than a mess of tangled yarn. It was completely unwearable. You were furious.
You don’t understand how something so obviously damaged could get out of the factory in this condition. This product was supposed to be something that you needed, something that everyone needed. But you couldn’t do anything with this. You didn’t need this tangled piece of junk.
You found the contact information on a slip of paper that had been in the box. You frantically wrote out an angry letter detailing the damages and your great disappointment. You even took a picture of the mess for good measure so they could see how bad it really was. You put both the letter and picture into and envelope and mailed it that very day.
After days of disappointment that you weren’t able have the trendiest fashion item of the season, you got a letter in the mail from the Thneed company itself. You opened it, expecting a check with a refund or even just a perfunctory message of apology, but it was none of that. It was an invitation to go to the factory. According to the letter, you had been the very first person to receive a damaged Thneed and the CEO himself would like to apologize to you.
You were intrigued. You would be able to tell all your friends about this young, famous inventor you got to meet. They would all be envious. You had to go.
– - -
Greedler paced around the office nervously on the date of the proposed meeting. This was the first time a product had arrived damaged due to a factory error. He didn’t want a bad reputation to develop – everything had to be as perfect as possible for his company to be the most successful in the country. Any possible bad press in these early days had to be smoothed over before word could spread.
Meeting a customer in person was unusual but he decided it had to be done. It would be the most certain way to dissuade any ill-will that might arise. Greedler wouldn’t admit it but he was nervous of having his brand new industry unravel. Nothing could go wrong.
Greedler peered out of the window, looking down onto the company grounds below bustling with men loading boxes of Thneeds into delivery trucks. In the courtyard, Greedler saw someone new approaching the main building. Greedler knew that this had to be the first unhappy customer. But instead of feeling anything that resembled anxiety or nervousness, Greedler’s mood instantly brightened. This customer was so very lovely. Some would have described them as pretty or handsome, and Greedler would have certainly agreed that this person was incredibly attractive.
Oh, he had to do something. Something special for this person so wonderful. It was an utter atrocity that their Thneed had been damaged. Simply giving them a new Thneed would not be sufficient. Greedler thought of something clever. Something that would make everyone involved so very happy. It was the perfect plan.
“Oncie, Oncie!” Greedler called from the office. “Come here quickly and look out the window.”
A man – strikingly similar to the man in the green suit – entered the office and did as he was told.
“What am I supposed to be looking for?” Oncie asked as he peered out of the window. “Oh – Oh my! Look at them. Aren’t they just… oh wow,” Oncie swooned. “Are they the customer you’re supposed to meet today?” Oncie questioned, his voice slightly tinged with envy.
“The customer we are going to meet today. When they knock on the office door, open it for them.”
“Is that really okay? For someone from the outside to see us both together? I do want to meet them but—”
Oncie’s nervous rambling was cut off by a kiss from Greedler. “Shush,” Greedler said as he finally pulled away from his double. “I promise you that everything will be fine. I have it all planned out.”
—-
You entered the lobby and spoke to the secretary at the front desk. You were told to go up a narrow flight of stairs that would lead you right in front of the CEO’s office. You followed the instructions, albeit a bit nervous to find yourself awkwardly knocking on the door of the office. After a moment the door finally swung open and you were greeted by a tall man in gray. He looked a lot like the pictures of the CEO you had seen in newspapers, but he lacked that look of determination and drive. You were staring at the (admittedly very handsome) face of a young man full of hopes and dreams but certainly not the same person that launched this thriving company into such great success.
A man in green, equally tall as the first, came up to you and patted you on the back a little too eagerly. You noticed a box of the desk which must contain the replacement Thneed, though the man in the emerald suit does not give it to you.
“Since you made all this effort to show up at the factory today, we might as well make it all worth your while,” the CEO said, only just now remembering to remove his hand from your back. “As promised, you will get your replacement, but I would like to show you around first. Is that okay with you?”
You nodded, looking into the sparkling verdant eyes that so perfectly completed the face of this man who must be the CEO. You noted how this man nearly identical to the one who let you in the office. Even twins hardly shared such perfect sameness of appearance. You gathered up the courage to ask who the other man was, trying hard not to sound too interested.
“Oh, that’s not important. Don’t worry about such silly details. You’ll see him again, though. I’m sure of that.” You thought you saw him wink at the end of that last sentence. Your heart was pounding and you were feeling a bit light-headed from all these unexpected happenings. You wished he would touch your shoulder again.
You were shown around the factory – or the mansion to be more exact. It was explained that the factory was a bit too dangerous for unauthorized personnel to be allowed to venture in. He told you that he didn’t want you to have your “lovely face ruined” if he was foolish enough to let you too close to the machinery that pressed and packaged the Thneeds. You blushed at that remark. You tried to hide it but you were almost certain that he noticed despite your best efforts.
As you went down hallways and through rooms that were furnished so perfectly with imported tapestries and custom painted oil pictures you barely noticed the oak cabinets or the porcelain dinnerware. As he told you where certain objects came from you were only able to feign interest in the stories as you were absolutely enraptured by his appearance. It was not only his facial features or his lean body that interested you, but you liked the way he moved and how proud he was in all the successes of his company. His air of importance and prestige was almost overwhelming the more you were around him.
If you had been in any proper state of mind to carefully listen to what he was saying, you would have noticed that he was beginning to rush through his stories and leave out key details. He was distracted by you nearly as much as you were distracted by him. He just wanted to be sure you were really, truly interested in him before he tried anything.
You thought the tour must be nearly over as you walked past a room you had already entered. You almost started to feel disappointed that you would have to leave so soon when he mentioned that there was one more room he would like to show you.
He opened a door to what was surely the master bedroom. Even compared to the lavishness of the rest of the mansion this room was remarkable in its display of amazing wealth. Though your thoughts didn’t linger on golden picture frames and impressive granite sculptures for long when you noticed there was already someone laying in the enormous four poster bed in the center of the room.
It was the hopeful looking man from before. He rubbed his eyes and sat upright, trying his best to suppress a yawn. He was still clothed in a lose fitting thermal top, and probably a pair of boxers, though you couldn’t see under the blankets to be certain. You should have been embarrassed to find yourself in such an unexpectedly intimate situation, but you were more excited than anything.
“Oh, you’re finally here. I must’ve fallen asleep while I was waiting. Sorry Greedler,” the man in the bed said apologetically as he noticed the both of you in the room.
“Hush, dear. It’s fine now,” Greedler said as he undid his tie and unbuttoned the suit and laid them aside. You noted that he did not remove his amazingly long green gloves. You liked that.
The CEO undid all the buttons of his white collared shirt and removed his finely made dress pants (revealing lovely black and green boxers, though you tried your best not to stare). He climbed into the bed to lay alongside the man who was so nearly his exact copy. Really, this scene should have made a dozen questions pop into your head, but you only managed to ask one.
“May I…?” you gestured towards the bed.
“Of course, dearest visitor. We wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” the green-eyed one said with a brilliant smile.
You didn’t remember getting into the bed, but you remembered the comforting warmth of the two men on either side of you and the thick Thneed blankets on top. It was a very unique sensation to be held by two people. Having so many long, spindly limbs wrapped around you so lovingly could hardly ever compare to anything else. You wondered briefly why relationships of only two people were considered the norm when having more was so wonderful. You think you heard the two men kiss. How perfect it was for them to have one another.
You fell into a gentle sleep, more restful than any nap you had taken since you were a child. When you woke up you were in the arms of only the blue-eyed man. You looked around and saw the the other, now dressed again, walking in from the hallway and towards where you lay in the bed. He leaned over to you and kissed your cheek. “Would you like to get going now? I can call a cab for you.”
You agreed to this, not able to handle too much more excitement for the day. On your way out, he kept his arm over you shoulder, hardly willing to let go when the cab arrived. He handed you the box with the replacement Thneed that you had nearly forgotten about.
During the ride home you opened the box and noticed a handwritten note placed above the neatly-folded Thneed. It read: You are truly our most appreciated customer. We hope that we have made amends for any previously unfortunate experiences. We sincerely hope to see you again very soon – you already know your way around the mansion after all.