Chapter Text
Disconnecting from the HDD terminal, Belle lets out a long groan. Once again, she had been helping Nicole with commissions knowing she won’t get paid. Belle’s eyes felt heavy as she stood up from the chair. She swore to herself that she would not help the Cunning Hares again if Nicole asked. Exiting the room, Belle opens the door and catches a glimpse of both Wise and Grace. Remembering the last time Belle saw Grace, she swiftly closed the door as fast as she opened it. “You can’t just hide from customers Belle,” Wise said.
“Actually, I came to see you Belle,” Grace chimed.
Belle walked out of the room again, her eyes heaviness now gone. Belle pondered as to why Grace would want to see her until she remembered the recent commission involving Belobog Corporation. As Belle was leaving the construction site, she caught a glimpse of Grace’s work boots sitting on the ground. Confused, Belle started to stare at Grace, wondering what she was doing. Grace was reprogramming the newly “fixed” robots and had taken off her shoes. Belle was confused as to why Grace had taken off her shoes, let alone having no socks in sight. Not wanting to ponder on it any longer, Belle took one final glance before running into Koleda. Apologizing, Belle gestured with a bow using her bangboo and walked off.
“So, what did you need, Grace?”
“I wanted to talk to you about how your bangboo can move so fluidly,” Grace responded.
Before Wise or Belle could respond, Wise’s phone ringtone filled the front lobby. Answering the call, Wise pleaded with the other person if this commission had to be completed tonight. “Belle, I already closed the shop. Grace was wanting to meet with you so keep her company,” Wise said.
Without mentioning what the commission entailed, Wise left for the car. Hearing the outside door locked, Belle looked back at Grace. Sweat dribbled down her head as she was wiping it with her hand covered in grime. Looking further down, Belle could see more sweat forming around her armpits. Her crop top dampened from working outside all day. “Something on my shirt?” Grace asked.
“Ohhh, I- no there’s nothing…” Belle replied, “So what did you want to know about? My bangboo?”
“To be honest hun, I’m not here for your bangboo.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Sis told me to come here after work. Something about how she wants me to hang with people cause robots don’t count.”
“Then what about Ben or Anton?”
“They don’t count considering how often I must be around them. She also said something about your bangboo taking a liking to me.”
Upon hearing this, Belle slowly turned red from the fact it wasn’t her bangboo, but Belle herself that was caught staring at her. Not wanting Grace to notice the new shade on her face, Belle opened the door and asked her to follow. Grace entered the room and walked towards the VHS containers covering the wall. Looking at a particular title, Grace grabbed it and looked at the front cover. Asking Belle if they could watch it together, she reasoned it would make the time go quicker before she should go back home. Belle looked at the cover and noticed it was a romance movie. Not wanting to make Grace feel uncomfortable, she agreed as they both took a seat at opposite ends of the couch.
Booting on the TV screen and inserting the VHS, the title ‘Oh~ Sweetie’ appeared. Going to grab the remote, Belle took another look at Grace. Her face remained emotionless, but her eyes sparkled in a way Belle didn’t think could happen. Admittedly, Belle has already watched this with Wise once or twice, but the new expression on Grace made Belle ready to see it again. Pressing play, Belle did not take her eyes off Grace. She was fixed on her, when Grace turned and met eyes with Belle. “Is it okay if I take off my shoes?” Grace said.
Belle, not minding it, said she could do as she pleased. Causing Grace to focus on her shoes. Belle continued to watch as Grace started taking off the shoes. She didn’t necessarily care about watching, but something about Grace made Belle want to continue staring. Fully taking off the shoes now, Belle noticed Grace was not wearing any socks under them again. Wanting to comment on the fact, Belle’s attention shifted from the shoes to the smell that was seeping into her nose. It wasn’t unpleasant to Belle however, an aroma of strawberry, oil, and other construction scents filled her nose. This just caused Belle to focus on her feet more than she probably should. “Sorry if the smell bothers you, my coworkers have commented on it before. Leading me to try different products,” Grace said.
“It’s no big deal,” Belle responded, “it smells fine.”
“You sure? You’re staring quite a bit.”
Belle quickly moved her head to look at Grace’s face. Grace’s hands covered her face as she wouldn’t look at Belle. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I was stari—”
“And you were staring quite a bit when you saw me in the entrance.”
Belle couldn’t understand why she stared so much at Grace. The thoughts of Grace just pleased her. Belle didn’t say anything while staring into Grace’s hands. The silence overtook the movie as Belle tried to form words. Finally, as a last-ditch effort, Belle stammered “L-let’s just focus on the movie, Grace.”
With the movie concluding, Belle looked over at Grace who was just as embarrassed as Belle was. The romance movie did not help with the mood she had created earlier. Not knowing what to say, Belle watched as Grace started putting her shoes on. No words left her mouth as Grace stood up and started walking towards the door. “The movie was lovely; would you like to meet up again soon?” Grace said, not looking back at Belle.
Belle responded, “W-we should do it again later.”
Grace turned back at Belle with this response and smiled. Thanking her for the time, Belle watched as Grace left the video store. Locking the door behind, Belle went upstairs to her room. Getting into bed, she hugged her pillow allowing the warm feeling from Grace's goodbye to linger in the moment. 'What is this feeling," Belle thought.