Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day had been more than a little chaotic, but the promise of having a moment after visiting hours at least gave you something to look forward too… as well as catching whispers of the other toons hosting a little get together to do one last big celebration before the Christmas toons needed to be put back… wherever they went when it was time for them to part. You got confirmation when Dandy himself alerted you that everyone was meeting on the main floor after closing and when the staff had left for the afternoon. Of course, excluding the human security prowling around but even then they posed little threat to the privacy and personal activities of the toons.
A promise of fun and games made an evening filled with excited children and parents waiting impatiently to get a turn to take a picture a little more bearable.

Helping Sprout and Cosmo make treats- most for visitors… some for the night ahead. Cookies and other assorted baked goods to feast on.
“Yatta’s gonna bring candy, we know that much… I think Poppy mentioned bringing some soda,” Sprout mumbled softly to himself in thought as he looked through what the kitchen had to offer.
“Maybe we should make something to balance out the sugar?” You offered as you set out bowls and other cooking utensils on the counter. The strawberry paused for a moment… before smiling. His hand lightly pats against your upper back. “Something sour would do the trick!”

And so you added some acidity to treats that called for it. Of course, some were left unaltered. One could only hope that the sugar wasn’t too much for everyone else. You nod to Ginger as she enters the kitchen. Between the four of you the treats were all finished quickly… though…
You could only offer a sheepish smile and apologize quietly as Tisha stepped in and nearly passed out from the sight of the kitchen’s state.
“Sorry Tish-” You rub the back of your neck. Her eyes darted across the mess. Dirtied bowls, smears of batter, there was flour everywhere… the black mats on the floor were shifted to a dusty white. Streaks ran all over the surface only occasionally broken by footprints.
“It’s…” She started. You could see the gears working in her head as she tried to pick apart what to tackle first.
Ginger spoke up.
“I can help, and so can Cosmo,” The cookie glanced at her cousin. The roll cake nodded- he was already gathering the dishes he had ruined to rinse them off in the nearby sink. Tisha seemed to visibly untense just a tad. “Oh, thank you both,”

With now five toons in the kitchen it became cramped, so you bid yourself goodbye- each toon inside returning your announcement of departure with varying levels of awareness.

You hardly made it to the elevator before you bumped into Brightney as she checked through a long list in her hands.
“Scraps and Goob are handling decorations… Yatta is putting them up as well as providing candy… Teagan is responsible for drinks… and Sprout…” She tapped the tip of her pen to the paper as she continued to walk- totally engrossed into the paper. You clear your throat lightly and catch her attention before she could walk into a wall.
“Oh-! It's you!” The lamp gave you a smile. You return it as you steal a glance of her list.
“Sprout and Cosmo finished baking up some treats,”
Brightney gives another soft “oh!” before checking off the item. “You’re not pushing yourself too hard trying to make sure everyone’s on track?”
“I’m giving a hand where I can! It’s been so long since all us toons got to get together afterall!” Brightney’s eyes darted to the elevator. “Are you going down?”

Were you going down…?

You glance at her list once more. You could pay the craft siblings a visit to see if they needed any help with getting things together- or with visitors.
“Yeah, sure,” You smiled.
And the two of you step into the elevator. As you reach your hand to the buttons a loud shrieking voice makes you stop in your tracks.
From the end of the hallway Yatta is sprinting forward towards the elevator with her hands absolutely filled to the brim with all sorts of candies. Wrapped ones, boxed ones, you saw a few you didn’t even know were carried in Gardenview. You allow your hand to remain in the air to let the pinata close the distance… she slid into the elevator- some candies slipping from her arms with clacks of varying pitches and volumes. “AAAAAAAAH-” Yatta… the noise you could only describe as scrumpt… before trying to shuffle the candies back into her arms. It was… actually kind of pathetic seeing her awkwardly try to pick the wrapped candies with her teeth- leaned over close to the floor.
“Oh my…” Brightney whispered softly.
“Here-” You step forward- but not before pressing the button you had wanted- and scooped the scattered candies up in your hands. “Good thing only the wrapped ones fell huh?”
“I’D STILL eat them if they weren’t!” Yatta insisted as she tightened her grip on the collection. You force your face to remain straight.

“I assume that’s not all the candy you’re going to be bringing to the party?” Brightney asked. Yatta rapidly shook her head. It seemed she had just taken a hit from her sugar stash. “This is only the third batch!”

Third…

You glance at Brightney who… did her best to look supportive.
“The parties on the ground floor, right? Near the entrance? That’s what Dandy told me before he had to go do… whatever activities they have him doing today-”
Brightney snaps out of it and looks at you. “Oh! Yeah- yes you’re correct! The others agreed that it would be the most convenient… lot’s of free space to set everything up and to play games,” The lamp looked down at her list once more. “In fact… I don’t recall any talk of what games will be played tonight… all I recall is that Dandy had told us to bring out trinkets… “just in case” as he had put it,” Her mouth tightens slightly. “I’m sure he’s got a plan! If not there’s plenty of games we can play without props,”
The paper is rolled up and tucked away somewhere. The elevator door opens.

“I’ll go check on the crafts to see how they’re doing,” You muttered out loud. Brightney glanced at you as her hands patted the space where she put her list and pen.
“Are you sure? I was already planning on checking in on them myself,”
You gently wave her off. “Knowing you, you’ve been on your feet all day trying to keep things rolling smoothly- you deserve an extra set of eyes n hands- it's no sweat off my back!”

The elevator door opens.

“It’s only about an hour… maybe two… until everything closes down, it really isn’t that big of a deal,” You added.
Over Brightney’s shoulder Yatta was eyeing the candy in her arms… she seemed to be struggling to pay attention to the conversion between you and the lamp. Not that it was that big of a deal.
“Well… if you insist,” Brightney offered you a tired smile… and for a moment you caught the exhaustion in her eyes before she perked right back up. “I’ll go back up and see if Teagan needs any help,”
As eager to help as ever.

…and Teagan was probably on a higher floor judging by the fact that Brightney did not leave the elevator with you.
“SEE YA BUD!” Yatta called out- she crouched down to rapidly wave at you as the floor closed. Brightney began to say something to her but her voice was cut off by the door. You stand there quietly for a moment before simply choosing to go on to the tables the craft siblings usually situated themselves at…
This floor was one of the rainbow rooms- and the walls were covered in various crafts and drawings made by the children. There were even some scribbles of you… the sight warmed your heart as you drew closer to the sounds of overjoyed children.

Scraps sat in a short blue plastic chair carefully cutting out some streamers… at least as best as she could with her claws. It seemed that at the moment Goob had taken it upon himself to entertain the children while his sister worked on party preparations… a few of the calmer children had sat around her table and helped her out- whether they knew they were for a party or not they looked to be having fun.
“Hey,” You lazily- and somewhat awkwardly- raise your hand in a half wave. Scraps’ eyes dart up to you for a brief moment before snapping back to her paper. “Oh! Didn’t know you were gonna come down here-” Her hands tensed around the dull pair of scissors in her hands. Her claws gently scraped against the plastic handles.
You give a shrug that she didn’t see. “I don’t have many visitors today so I’m kind of going around seeing if anyone needs a hand in getting things ready for tonight- speaking of,” You glance to the small pile of paper decorations set to the side.
“Need a hand?”
“Please,”

And so you settled yourself in the last free chair at the table. One last glance is given to Goob as he plays some sort of tag game with the kids. He was… covered in glitter and paper scraps… pipe cleaners and stickers. A part of you was glad you weren’t often assigned to arts and crafts.

“And I can help bring them up to the main floor after closing- maybe help put them up,” You grab a spare pair of scissors and begin copying whatever designs Scraps was attempting to do. “I think Brightney mentioned Yatta’s going to be doing that?”
“Flutter offered to help- since she can reach the higher stuff,” Scraps tensed her eyebrows a bit before relaxing. “There!” She said to herself before setting the section of steamer away to the rest of the pile.

And the two of you finished making decorations. Children came and went… though as the time passed they progressively lessened in numbers until the intercom clicked to life above to alert the visitors that Gardenview was closing for the day. You… never much liked the voice of whoever did the announcements. They sounded fake. Too sweet, like how Dandy sometimes spoke in his episodes. Like he was talking to a bunch of idiots who couldn’t think for themselves.
…
You force the comparison to the back of your mind- feeling it was too mean of a thought.

Actually decorating and setting everything up was fairly uneventful. Some toons did butt heads about where everything should go…
Ultimately the snacks were set in the hall leading to the main lobby. Out of the way but close enough to not be an inconvenience to walk. It also seemed like it was going to be a slumber party judging by the bedding Astro had provided- you caught him and Shelly stacking them neatly to one of the walls. The latter had already changed into her comfortable onesie. A table was set nearby with various games… board games and card games. Vee had added some trivia games to the pile.
Brightney was skittering around the room making sure everything was all coming together… she only stopped when Dandy approached her and said something you couldn’t catch. He did give her a pat on the shoulder and thumbs up, though.
Razzle and Dazzle had moved the projector from their room down to the main floor and were setting it up to throw whatever picture they wanted to the middle elevator… it temporarily glitched for a few seconds- before Connie revealed herself. Razzle seemed to be far more scared than his brother at the prank.

“That’s everything I think!” You overheard Shelly as she glanced over the large space. It looked… nice. It was cozy inside- the Christmas lights strung up glowed against the paper decor you and Scraps had made with the children.
“It looks so nice! Like a big warm hug and a nice cozy sweater!” Bobette stepped to her side and marveled. The main lights had dimmed- further pushing the cascade of colors from the string lights.
“I’ll say,” Sprout muttered with a grin as he finally tugged his apron off and half haphazardly folded it and set it to the side… it wasn’t unlike him to forget to take it off.
One by one the last toons that hadn’t yet arrived made it to the gathering. Rudie dashed right in with Ginger… not quite right on his tail. “I wanted to add some last minute decorations to the cookies-” She said softly as she placed her cookies on the table with the rest of the treats.
Shrimpo stomped in… the fact he had even decided to show up was a shock actually especially as he complained loudly about how stupid he thought this was. Rodger took the role of reason in asking why he had decided to appear… which earned him a nasty string of insults.
You catch him telling Toodles not to repeat what the crustacean had said.

Finally you bring yourself to the main group of everyone congregated. You catch a glimpse of Toodles running off to go play with Pebble and Coal who were both a bit aways from the group doing… whatever it was rocks do.
By the looks of things Dandy was already starting a game- holding a large sack. A big red one, the kind you see Santa lugging around in movies.
“The first night of the game is a little different everyone!” The flower grinned as he took charge. He opened the bag and shifted towards Sprout.
“And the game is…?” The berry looked inside the bag skeptically. By the looks of it it seemed empty.
“We usually play tag or hide n seek- but this time around I figured… hey! Why don’t we play something a little more adventurous!” Dandy grinned. “Put your trinkets in the bag, we're playing seven minutes in heaven- of course, only if you wanna play!” His eye darted to look at you out of the corner. Several toons already muttered their passes and detached from the group to do their own thing until the current game was over with.

“Really? Seven minutes? Dandy we’re not-” Vee started before Rudie cut her off. Her antennae twitched irritably before going still once more.
“Where are the players gonna go?”
Dandy’s grin widened as Sprout slipped his trinket into the bag. “Why, we can use the gift shop! It’s far enough away to give the lovebirds some privacy- Vee you’ve got a built in clock riiiiiiiight?” He fluttered his eyes at her. Vee seemed to fight the urge to roll her eyes.
“Of course I do,” She crossed her arms… she hesitated before adding her trinket to the bag.

One by one the participating toons slipped their trinkets in- you included. Dandy was the last to add his… and once the bag was filled he shifted it around to move the trinkets around inside… the clicking and rustling inside muffled thanks to the thick and soft material of the sack.

“Now…” Dandy stuck a finger out… and then.
“Eeny meeny-”
“Are you being serious?” Connie scoffed as she stared at the toon. She looked both.. Amused and a little shocked that the person who suggested the game wasn’t going first.
Dandy ignored her.
“You!” His finger landed on you. “Unless you’re too chicken to go first,” He added with a light hearted tease. The sack is pushed close to you and he shimmies it around slightly.

“I ain’t chicken,” You huffed.

Everyone’s eyes glue themselves onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Your finger wraps around what feels like a small group of beads- plastic ones… most round and smooth but others were… shaped differently. Your finger hooks around it blindly and carefully pull it out of the sack- the odds of someone putting something fragile into the bag weren’t zero.
It’s a bracelet- charms of strawberries and cupcakes lightly dangled in the air as the christmas lights caught against the material. If it weren’t for the berries you’d have no clue who this had belonged to… and if you had any doubts Sprout announced the item as his.
The falter of Dandy’s face wasn’t lost on you no matter how brief it was. The flower nearly instantly tugged his smile back across his face as his green hand lands on your shoulder- lightly rocking you back and forth.

“Alright Alright! You two!” Dandy gestured between you and Sprout before slightly jerking his head towards the hallway.
“To the gift shop! You’ve got seven minutes so you better make it count!” His tone almost sounded… forced. You hardly have the time to comment on it before Sprout makes himself comfortable at your side.

Everyone was staring at you and the main… and it was… intense.

Sprout’s hand found itself on the back of your arm and lightly tugged your sleeve… not enough to seem needy or forceful- if anything it felt a little reassuring in the face of all the attention.
“Come on,” Sprout said under his breath as he lightly pulled you away from the dozens of stares burning into your body. One last glance over your shoulder allowed you to see Dandy nearly begging Vee to time the game. You don’t get to see the rest of the interaction as Sprout leads you to the smaller gift shop that Bobette had Bobette had made home for the holidays- the staff door inside unlocked and open.
The door was hardly ever unlocked- and then it clicked. The game was to be held in the back storage like room instead of the shop itself. Kept away from prying eyes. “To give the lovebirds privacy,” as Dandy had put it.

Sprout must have felt your body stiffening under the realization- and in an instant he jumps to ease your tension.
“We don’t have to do anything, you know,” He used his free hand to readjust his scarf… in an almost awkward motion. You shift slightly on your feet… before taking the first step forward. Out of the corner of your eye Sprout pauses his own shuffling to watch your movements. “We still have to hang out in there for seven minutes,” You mumble softly.
You doubt you’d ever hear the end of it from Dandy- and probably some of the others- if you decided to chicken out and leave the gift shop now.
Technically the game didn’t need to involve kissing and gushy feelings, right? It was just a waiting game to you at the moment.

Sprout considers your words for a second. “Yeah I guess you’re right,”
The toon lets go of his scarf and steps forward- only to pause in his steps to let you walk in first. A second later he closes the door- wincing slightly at the louder than intended closing of it. Even if he didn’t show it in the same intensity as you, his nerves were clear.

The room was… filled with all sorts of boxes. Candies and toys, mostly… and some merchandise to try to toss at passing visitors to hopefully entice them to travel to the lower floors to purchase even more merch. You move a pebble plush to the side- using it as a barrier between you and the cool wall as you lowered yourself onto the floor…
Perhaps… one of you should have grabbed some of the plastic chairs as you passed.
Sprout attempted to make himself comfortable on the floor across from you- keeping a healthy distance away from you and giving you your space.

You both sit quietly for a few seconds. Your palms lightly patting your thighs, and him rustling a hand through his leaves.
You hadn’t even considered how awkward this game could get… especially when neither party didn’t want to step on the other person’s boundaries.
Times like this called for good communication, you decided- but as you open your mouth to act on your idea Sprout speaks up.
“Thanks for helping me and Cosmo… and Ginger… in the kitchen, by the way,” Sprout took his hands out of his leaves and offered you another smile. It didn’t seem forced like Dandy had worn minutes ago. His actually carried warmth. “I know I already thanked you, but… I feel like you deserve some extra…” He trailed off.
You nod slightly as your hands slow to a stop on your thighs.
“Thanks- I mean-” Your fingers twitch slightly. “You’re welcome-”
You both share a short awkward laugh.

How much time was left before Dandy came knocking on the door? The air felt.. Thick.

Sprout shifted again.
“I hope Tisha didn’t have too much of a hard time cleaning everything up,” You tried to continue the conversation. The toon instantly jumps on your attempt to keep the talking going.
“We all helped her, don’t worry… Me and Cosmo have been trying to get better about cleaning as we cook- Ginger’s helping us keep on top of that,”
Another pause.
“Don’t know what we’re gonna do when the holiday toons gotta retire for the year- we’re helpless without her,” He snickered softly.
“I could help, I mean… I’m not much of a baker- but I wouldn’t mind spending some extra time with you…would give me an excuse to slip away from the visitors for a little while… no offense Sprout but I don’t think I’d be able to handle being a main- all the attention… crowding…” You chuckled softly.

“It isn’t so bad,” He shrugged. “It’s nice, most of the time,”

The air falls silent between the two of you again.

Your fingers curl and tense- untense, and then tense again.

If you had to guess you were both already midway through your seven minutes already… maybe… you wished desperately that there was a clock in the room.
The lump settling in your throat felt uncomfortable and it refused to be forced down no matter how hard you tried to swallow it… you were slightly grateful that most toons didn’t have visible necks. You could only imagine how that would look to outsiders.
You force your hands to relax against your thighs and remain flat.

“How come you put your bracelet into the sack? No offense, Sprout, but you don’t seem like the type to enjoy games like this-” You suddenly blurted out.
Sure Sprout wasn’t the only toon you wouldn’t expect to participate in a game like seven minutes in heaven- but if you were going to be given the chance to ask him about it you were going to take it to soothe your own curiosity.

Sprout’s brows furrowed together… and the seconds dragged on.
And a few more seconds pass.
Did you say something wrong? A passing thought of him wanting someone else made your heart sink for a second before it was forced out of your mind briefly… only to snap right back into your mind a split second later. Did he have someone he wanted in mind?
Regardless Sprout didn’t seem like the type to confess to someone in a setting like this- if anything he seemed more like the type to-

Sprout finally started to speak.
“Shelly encouraged me to put my bracelet in,”
Oh.
“I probably wouldn’t have entered if she didn’t say anything if I’m being perfectly honest- kissing people for a game isn’t really my thing…”
And yet he still put his item in with that idea in mind.
“Well it doesn’t have to end with a kiss you know, especially if you’re stuck in here with someone you don’t like,” You blurt out before you could even think about the implications of your wording.
Like as in love or like as in enjoy… it was all up to Sprout to decide based on how your tone slipped through your mouth.
“Guess that’s true,” He cracked a half smile at you. “But who’s to say I don’t like you?”
Once more the question of what like meant in this context was asked in your mind. Your eyes picked apart his face but it was nearly impossible to figure it out. Possible nervous sweating could have been attributed to the stuffy air of the room- refusal of eye contact from the awkward topic of conversation- and the grin could have just been a courtesy as far as you knew.

But Sprout would lightly reject you if he meant “like” as in “romance”, right? He didn’t seem like the type to string things out longer than they needed to be. Your palms feel clammy against your legs- the sensation only making you feel more comfortable as you try to choose your next words carefully.
If Sprout had any inkling of you having a crush on him that he didn’t reciprocate he would reject you in an instant. He was the last toon to lead someone on.

“Well I don’t exactly mean me when I say someone- I mean… I think just about everyone put something in so really- the odds of me picking you was kinda… up in the air, you know?” You manage to force out. “I mean you could’ve gotten Shrimpo, I think I saw him put something in… looked like a brick or something?”
How he even got one… you push on before you can get off track.
“And I doubt you’d wanna spend seven minutes with Shrimpo,” You joke.
“I’m sure at least one person would,” Sprout shakes his head slightly. He seemed just as shocked that the Shrimp had decided to participate in the game.
“So you’re saying you wouldn’t wanna be locked up in here with him?”
The air seemed less heavy… that was good.
“I’m sure someone would,” He shifted into a straighter position against the wall- perking up with a widened grin.

Sprout was blunt, but you could at least commend him for trying to not hurt anyone’s feelings… even if they weren’t around, and if they probably wouldn’t care about anything mean said about them…
At least if he didn’t share your affections you could at least count on him being gentle with you.

And then it falls quiet again. So much for keeping things rolling.

Before you could think of anything to say, you heard someone come rushing to the closed door and knock on it- rapidly. Instantly Sprout jumped to his feet- already on edge against the urgency of the pounding… and he visibly bristles when it’s only revealed to be Dandy… who’s fist nearly knocks against his chest. The flower stiffens straight up- but not without sparing a glance to you under Sprout’s arm as he held the door open.
“Just making sure neither of you are getting tooooo comfortable in there,” Dandy shoots you a wink before he at least attempts to match Sprout’s stare. The height difference made it a little hard.
“Time’s up by the way,” His teeth clicked lightly against each other as he stepped to the side… but didn’t slink back to the party. As if he was keeping watch on the two of you- Sprout especially. You hardly ever see such vague hostility from the toon. If anything it felt almost… out of character against the usual cheerfulness he greeted you with.

You decide not to outwardly question it for now as you push your palms to the floor to rise to your feet.
“Didn’t realize we were running out of time,” You mumbled, although silently grateful for the end of the round. “We didn’t even get to kiss,” You lightly teased.
Sprout quickly gives you a look- which you miss as you steady yourself against the wall. You’d gotten up too fast.
“You should go get something to eat, you look a little wobbly there,” Sprout commented. “I whipped up some snacks too, not just desserts,” He added. Dandy finally sulked off to the gift shop entrance without another word.

“Maybe I will get something… you could come show me what all you’ve made,” You offer him a smile… Now that the two of you were done with the game things felt… more comfortable. Even if nothing was done in the moment, but…
Something felt different in the way Sprout’s eyes rested on you.

“Yeah,” He stepped out of the doorway, and gave you more than enough space to exit the storage room. “Maybe tomorrow we can cook something up together, just me and you? I mean… Cosmo and Boxten will be there, but… you’re always welcome in the kitchen,”
You pull the door shut behind you as you consider his offer.
More baking?

You offer him a smile which he returns.
“Yeah that sounds nice… Bobette’s been recommending all sorts of treats that don’t sound half bad,”
“So long as it’s not a gingerbread house,” Sprout laughed lightly as the pair of you walked back to the party- Dandy a few feet ahead of you.

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Something soft. Almost fuzzy in your fingers as your thumb subconsciously rubs circles into whatever you were- the material almost soothing in your grasp. You had absolutely… no idea what it could be or who had put it in- at least, you didn’t until you pulled the item out into the open. A bluish purple night cap… and in an instant your eyes were on Astro. You didn’t even notice until now that he had taken his cap off and he looked… so weird without it. Quickly- almost too quickly, like you were offended to see him without the accessory- you stretched your arm out to him.
“I uhm… think this is yours..” You mumble under your breath. Astro’s blanket shifted just enough to free one of his hands… his actions almost seem. Tense under all the eyes on him. “It is,” He finally managed to draw out after an odd pause of silence. From the corner of your eye you catch Dandy’s jaw grow tense for half a second before he ordered the two of you to go to the gift shop.

He didn’t have to tell you twice- Astro seemed more than happy to get out of everyone’s line of sight as he backed out of the crowd; only slowing down just enough to allow you to catch up to him without having to go over a brisk walk.
“Nerves?” You ask softly as soon as you are both out of earshot.
“I don’t blame them for staring, but…” The toon trailed off as you stepped through the gift shop’s main door… it didn’t take long for it to click that you were both meant to go into the storage room. How Dandy had managed to unlock the door was something you’d have to touch on later… Astro lets you step through first.

“Right… you don’t like having eyes on you,” You commented as you looked through the room. It was dim. The lightbulb had burned out, or maybe Dandy had taken it out to add to the mood of the game. Whatever mood he was hoping to achieve though… you had no idea. Being locked in a room for seven minutes wasn’t the worst thing in the world but you weren’t too keen on a room that smells vaguely of dust and old paper… fabric that needed washing- the material having captured the scent of the air around it… mostly shirts of less popular characters. You feel a soft pang for Shelly.
“At least it’s dim in here, hard to see…” You trail off as you give Astro a glance over your shoulder. The blue crescent of his face glowed softly and doused the room in its hue.

Ah…

You had forgotten that was something he could do- and something that he didn’t exactly have control over.

“That’s alright, honestly it’s better this way- it's a little… spooky in here, all dark and stuff,” You try to shift the subject as you press yourself into the wall and allow yourself to sink to the floor… only somewhat comfortably. Hard wood could only feel so nice.
Astro followed inside- and just when you thought he was going to take the wall opposite to you… he slips to the floor a few feet to your right. Enough room to give you your space, but close enough to ensure that you both didn’t need to talk across the room to hear one another.
He shifted himself to try to become more comfortable.

Hard floor or not, he already looked about ready to lay down for a nap. A part of you envied him for being able to sleep anywhere. He slumped slightly into the wall- almost melting right into it.
The silence drags on for a few seconds. You didn’t know what to say and Astro- as always- looked ready to doze off. You were convinced that if he wasn’t on his feet and surrounded by the others and- more than likely encouraged- joined the game he would have already found a nice quiet corner to rest after such a busy day.
He’d be valid for that. Even with less visitors focused on you, the constant bouncing between floors to help everyone prepare for the party had left you a little worn down.

“Your hats soft,” You suddenly blurted out. Astro’s closed eye cracked itself open.
“Like, the.. Fabric-” You continued on. No shit the fabric was soft. What else could you have been referring to? Your hands shift around against the floor- the tip of one of your fingers tapping against the wood.
“Yeah…?” Astro shifted his head to prop it on his shoulder.
Your eyes lingered on his face for a second or two before you stared straight ahead- the reminder of his hate of being stared at hanging in the back of your mind.
Though… he didn’t seem to hate it as much when it was just you. Or maybe just one person.
“I could give you one of my blankets,” Astro spoke up after the moment of silence stretched on a little too long. “I’ve got more than I need, I need to free some space anyway,”
You steal a glance from the corner of your eye. “You? Need space? Your rooms massive, Astro-”
It’s a light tease but it was the truth. All the mains had massive rooms- in fact they all had their own dedicated floors… on top of the themed floors that were open to visitors. Astro’s personal room shared the same overall feel of his themed floors. But there were more areas dedicated to rest. Sofas, bean bags- his bed was massive and nearly resembled a round nest. The staff were kind enough to keep the Toon’s rooms off limits to visitors.

“Well…” Astro’s eye dragged itself away from you and settled to his feet… before he tucked them under the blanket he clung to. “The offer is still up… Most of them are blue.. Purple… but I think I’ve got a few in different colors, if you want something else… scented ones, too,” He rambled before falling silent. “I won’t make you take one, if you really aren’t interested,”
The tapping finger against the floor grew still and curled to match the rest of your hand. “I wouldn’t mind looking through your collection- maybe we can run up real quick to your room to sift through it,” You flash a smile. “So long as it doesn’t take all night- I’d like to at least enjoy the party a little more before everyone winds down for the night,” A soft laugh. Astro actually returned it.
“I’m sure it won’t,” Astro hummed. His jaw visibly tensed as he bit back a yawn. Today really must have been taxing on him.
“For your sake so you don’t fall asleep?”
Astro lightly waved your jest off with a hidden hand. “Only a little,”

Another beat of silence.

“Well be sure to eat something when we get back, if you’re going to go to bed after,” You stretched your legs out across the floor once keeping them folded and began to cramp them up. The room was… cool. But not cold… but it still managed to crawl through your form. The wall felt… weird… now warmed from your body heat.

“Maybe… I’ll think about it…” Astro mimicked your legs- his feet dragging his blanket forward and pulling the material slightly taut.
“Sprout told me you helped him in the kitchen today,”
Instantly you perked up. “I did! Well- Kinda- I mean, I did help but he did a lot of the…. You know, giving the recipes and making sure I didn’t… you know, mess up?” Your now clammy hands pull off of the floor with a soft peeling sound- the sweat sticking your skin to the polished wood uncomfortable- and rest your palms on your knees, patting them softly before allowing them to come to a rest.
“I promise I didn’t mix up the salt and sugar again- I swear you’ll have sweet dreams tonight-” It was a bad joke but he at least gave you a pity laugh.

Astro’s head lowered into the blanket as his shoulders scrunched- he tended to curl into himself when he was laughing.
Maybe… it wasn’t a pity laugh after all.

“I’m sure if I could I would… your baking is getting better, regardless of any outside help.” His shoulders fell as the roll of laughter calmed itself. The compliment nearly went right over your head.
Maybe he worded it weird, but…

“You would if you could?” You finally turn your head back to face him. “Are you not sleeping well?”
Astro’s smile falls neutral… but he doesn’t really look uncomfortable or upset about the question. “I don’t dream, I’ve been sleeping well otherwise.”
He said it so casually.
“Like you just… don’t dream at all- or like, do you mean to just don’t remember your dreams?”
You catch his hands shifting under his blanket- running over each other you had to guess. “I don’t dream at all,” He shrugged. He didn’t seem all that bothered by it… you weren’t sure if that made you feel better about it, though… not that it concerned you. “I’m more interested in giving everyone else dreams and checking in on them,” He only shrugged.

You shift slightly.

“I don’t usually pry into other people’s dreams, don’t worry,” He added. You fall still and untense. “It’s… hard anyway, and it’s easier to ask what someone wants than trying to look myself,” He continued on. Astro hardly ever rambled. He wasn’t much of a talker in general… so it was a nice change to hear him lead a conversation.

“You haven’t seen anything weird from my dreams, right? I’ve been having a few weird ones for a while now-” Your mouth curls into a grin.
It wasn’t a lie. They weren’t nightmares but they often left you vaguely confused as you woke up. The details that didn’t slip away as you’d wake up only left more questions. People speaking backwards, toons not looking or acting quite right, toons and visitors swapping places. It was… weird but harmless, just to name a few examples.

“I must have missed it, then,” Astro lowered his head- his brow furrowing in thought. A hidden hand scratched at his chin through the blanket before coming to a rest against his jaw. “I don’t check often… but each time I’m always in your dream- not… me, but…”

You were dreaming about him. Of course he’d sometimes be there with the others… but there were a handful of times where it was just him.
They were never intense or embarrassing dreams. But the frequency of which he showed up would make one wonder. You certainly did at each encounter… non encounter. You knew it wasn’t actually him. He acted too differently. Didn’t look quite right- but it was close enough to know it was him.
A quiet noise came from your mouth before your head turned to the opposite side for a second to look anywhere but him.

“You look like you’re having fun in them, that’s good… I’m glad I give you good dreams, even if I’m not influencing you,” His hands fall to his lap. He shifted into a more straight position against the wall, the blanket making him slip against the wall slowly over the past few minutes…

How much time did you have left?
Not much you would assume.

“Well,” Your throat feels awkward- even the back of your mouth felt weird as you tried to pick the right words to not sound as nervous as you felt. There was no reason for your nerves to spark now. It was all innocent, as far as you were aware.
“You can always come visit, if I can have the real deal-” Your fingers spread across your knees before pressing close to each other a second later. “Of course only if you want to- it feels like I don’t get to see you all that much, since you’re you know…”
“Tired?”
You snap your head back to him and shake it.
“Busy, more like it. I actually… don’t mind taking a nap with you sometime,” You pressed on even as the glow of his face grew brighter- soft blue shifting paler, closer to white. “I mean- and obviously it’s not your fault but you always get so many visitors… sure not as much as say… Dandy or Vee- or Bobette since she’s…” You trail off.
“Limited?” His voice has a light waver to it. Like it was coming from the back of his throat- the noise lingering there and rapidly losing momentum as it was pushed out into the air.
You nod. “Yeah… limited… but- you know, you uhm…” You finally let your odd attempt die off. At least you got your point across- hopefully.

“Maybe…” Astro didn’t let the air remain quiet for long. Maybe he wanted to keep you from feeling even worse if it had stretched too long… or maybe he already had a response ready before you were done speaking. “We can spend some time together, when Gardenview’s closed,”

Your eyes darted to him again for a second. “Like on Christmas?”
There weren’t many days where Gardenview was closed. Mostly reserved for holidays… and on occasion when maintenance was required for the building that demanded more than simply closing down an area or two. At your words Astro’s mouth curls back into a soft smile. Faint, barely there… but present.
“If you want it to be Christmas,” He holds your gaze. You give him a nod. “Right… Christmas.. Today’s the… twenty third, right?”
Astro hummed.
“Right… Christmas, then- I’ll be sure to hound you as soon as you wake up-” You laughed slightly. Nerves quickly unwound and replaced themselves with a warm giddiness that fought back against the chill of the room.

The warmth was cut short as a series of knocks reminds you both that you were playing a timed game.
“Ah,” You mumbled. Time was up, and Dandy’s voice on the other side only cemented that. He didn’t even wait for one of you to speak up before he opened the door- his face softened when he saw you and Astro were a respectable distance away from one another. The light of Astro’s crescent dimmed as the light outside began to floor the room.

“Time’s up you two,” Dandy leaned forward in the doorway before pulling himself back and stepped aside with a light bounce in his step. Something got him happy, but you were too preoccupied with Astro’s offer of spending time together to ask if you had missed something while you were playing.
“Do you still want to get a blanket?” Astro asked softly as he shifted out of the doorway behind you. Dandy’s movements stopped for a split second before he resumed his walk down the hall to the party.
“We’ve got plenty of blankets- I made sure of that!” He called over his shoulder.
Your jaws roll against one another before you find your voice. “Astro’s blankets are softer- we’ll be back soon- promise!”

The flower doesn’t give you an answer. He simply continued walking a few paces ahead of you and Astro. “We’ll just take the elevator… and we’ll come right back,” You added, though mostly under your breath.
“I already have a few ideas of which blankets you might like, we shouldn’t be long…” Astro completes your murmur as you briefly rejoin the party and turn to one of the massive elevators. You only vaguely note what everyone else was doing before they regathered for another round of the game.

“You’ll have to show me which ones you made,” Astro suddenly said.
Your eyes followed his to the table full of treats near the entrance of the room. The door closed as you pinpointed the plate of cookies you had baked. Ginger was kind enough to arrange them nice and pretty on one of the nicer plates.
“Will do,” You nodded softly.

The ride up was… nice. The soft shake of the elevator is enough to keep you in the moment. It wasn’t long until the door opened again and Astro led you to where he kept his collection of blankets.

You could only hope it wouldn't take too long. If you were lucky there’d still be some of your cookies left behind- maybe spared by toons who had a rather nasty sweet tooth.
Hopefully…

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Whatever your fingers wrapped around was… soft… made of decent material… but it wasn’t fluffy- not even fuzzy. You readjust your hand around the item and tug it out into the air.
“Oooooooh! That’d be mine!” Dandy lowered the sack to the floor as his eyes widened. It was almost painful how obvious he was playing the whole act up. “I’ll be taking that,” the flower reached his green hand forward and plucked the plushie- which was in his likeness- from your hand. You hardly follow his movements as he placed it somewhere to the side- still slightly reeling from the sheer excitement that brimmed in his voice when you drew him.
“You all better behave while we’re gone!” Dandy comes to your side- his knuckles brushing against yours for a split second. His presence lingered while your hand instinctively pressed to your sides.
The sight of Vee rolling her eyes at Dandy’s words catches your eyes.
“...Yeah…” Sprout mumbled, sharing a slightly confused look that you might have mirrored.

“Well,” Dandy spun on his heel to halfway face you. “I promise I won’t smother you,” He gave you a wink.
Suddenly the flower’s eyes flick to Vee- who was already visibly setting the timer on her screen. She didn’t even wait for the two of you to start making your way down the hall. “Hey- hey hey hey-” Dandy suddenly hissed.
“You’ve got seven minutes-” Vee began. She almost sounded… irritated. Perhaps not a fan of being used as a timer for the game- or simply not wanting to partake in the first place… or maybe she didn’t like Dandy’s current attitude. Even you had to admit he seemed a little off- he was always cheery around you… and everyone else.. But this was…

Different.

He almost seemed too eager- too… giddy.

Your hand unglued itself from your side and wrapped lightly around his wrist. “C’mon let’s just go- I don’t think Vee’s gonna reset the timer,” You mumbled softly as everyone’s eyes darted between you, the TV, and the flower. In an instant Dandy fell quiet- eyes snapping between your hand as you continued to hold him and your face.
And finally, the scowl that had shifted to surprise… turned into his usual grin. “Guess there’s no point in wasting time,”
His hand shifted to take yours- and lightly tug you down the hall as the seconds on Vee’s clock ticked by. Half a minute had already been wasted just standing around and Dandy seemed to want to make the most of what was left… You basically let him drag you into the gift shop, and into the storage room behind it.

“You know, it wasn’t easy trying to get this door opened… but I wanted to give everyone privacy for the game, and… well the gift shop’s got some real big windows,” Dandy hummed as he shut the door behind him. You squinted against the darkness- struggling to adjust.
“How did you even unlock it? I thought only staff had the keys-” You slid your hands across the walls to guide yourself. Fingers slid across the cold metal double doors of the room… you always wondered where they led- and without thinking twice you wrapped your hold around the handles and gave it an experimental tug. It didn’t budge.
“Nothing important back there anyway,” Dandy’s hand found itself to your shoulder and gently pulled you to the wall opposite to the double doors. “It’s warmer here,”
Your back pressed against the cool wall- a part of you wished the game took place in the gift shop. It was warmer there and didn’t smell of dust.

“So,”
You nearly jump as Dandy suddenly planted himself right next to you rather roughly. His shoulders lightly slapping against the wall behind the two of you. The edges of his soft petals brushing against the side of your head. Neither of you sink to the floor… personally you didn’t much feel like having to brush a layer of dust off of your behind when you had to return to the party.
“Whaddaya think of the party?” Dandy continued. You scrunch your face slightly as he began to drum his fingers almost impatiently against the wall.
“It’s… fine…” Dandy seemed to tense at your opening but you decided to press on. “I mean- it’s just started, and now we’re here in a closet, in the dark-” You shrug.
“Oh!” followed by a string of laughter from the flower. “I guess I rushed right into the games, huh?” The drumming stops and you hear his palms sliding against the wallpaper. It needed replacing. It felt old- tiny tears littered here and there. You subconsciously pick at a hole with your nail as the quiet between the two of you drags on and devolves into awkwardness.

“You seemed happy about getting drawn,” You hummed. “You don’t really strike me as the type to get so excited over something like this- much less getting picked,”
It hadn’t even sunk in that he seemed giddy over you being the one to draw his item. You felt it was more likely that he was simply happy to play a game with his friends.

Dandy always had the tendency to overhype things- never quite able to turn off his cheery and fun loving persona that he carried during episodes.

As far as you knew he would have been just as excited if anyone else had taken out his doll.

It was a little funny, too… of all the things he could have put into the sack to represent himself, he had chosen something of his likeness. You had seen the other toons put in items that were important to them- a friendship bracelet from Goob that he had made with his sister, the clown horn Looey always used in his acts and utilized to push his comedy acts, Boxten’s bandana that he always seemed to fiddle with in an act to self soothe during his more anxious moments.
You think you saw Ginger put a piping bag full of icing into the sack… you could only hope that she tied it good. A shudder threatened to overtake you at the thought of the insides of the sack becoming stained candy red and the contents made sticky. At least you hadn’t put something of yours in… yet…

You snap back to the moment as Dandy- who had fallen silent for a few seconds to consider your question- finally speaks up.

“Am I not allowed to be excited to have you to myself?” His grin becomes lopsided as he eyes you. Hard. intensely. The wording went right over your head. Had you thought about it a little harder you’d have caught that once again he didn’t really answer your question.
You chew the inside of your cheek slightly.
“You don’t need an excuse to come hang out with me- so… no?” You steal a glance before fixing your stare back on the floor- nearly squirming under the intense stare as he visibly mentally picks you apart on the spot.

The silence drags on as his eyes continue to burn right into you.

“I’m a very busy toon, Dewdrop… you know I try to spend some time with everyone, but,” He sighs. Exasperated or dramatic. Maybe both as he leaned slightly away from you and lowered his head. Another drumming of his fingers fills the pause before he forces himself into your line of sight- bending down almost comically just to make it work.
“Can’t help but feel like I’ve been neglecting you… ‘cides, I like spending some extra time with you- just you,” the pout he adopted when you looked away spread into his classic charismatic smile. You were… almost impressed at how quickly he could change from one expression to another.
You only give him a hum as you turn his words over in your head. “I guess that’s fair?”
The corner of his mouth twitched at your words but he pulls himself from your gaze.

“Y’know, I’m actually really glad you grabbed my plushie- anyone would be lucky to have you as their partner but,” He propped himself against the wall in his best attempt to look as casual as possible.
“I mean it’s more coincidence than luck,” You shrugged and pressed the back of your shoulders firmly against the wall… the coolness felt nice against your tired frame. Another half huff of laughter from the flower escapes into the air.
“I’m being serious! I really am glad you picked my item!”
“I didn’t really consciously pick it-”

His eye twitched.

“What?”

His smile still remained even as his eyes sharpened against you.
Angry? Annoyed?

Irritated.

Dandy sharply inhales through his nose- or… at least that was the noise he made. The sudden shift in demeanor kept you from thinking too hard on the toon’s lack of nose… or really the lack of nose nearly every toon had.
The action seemed to calm him down just enough to soften the look in his eyes and ease the tightness in his posture.

“You’re lucky I’ve got such a soft spot for you,” He finally said after a few more seconds of simple staring.
Your brows knit together. “Did I say something wrong?”
The words felt heavy in the air- cutting right through it and sinking straight to the floor. For how slow they felt coming out of your mouth, the reaction Dandy gave you was instant. He pulled himself slightly from the wall and any annoyance he may have harbored was tossed somewhere in the back of his mind.
“No-!” He almost barked the word as he stared right into your eyes. You flinch against the sheer force behind his voice and he wilted at the sight. “-sorry- I’m being too much aren’t I?”

He fell back to the wall, fingers drumming against it again as his brow scrunched together. “I guess the sweet spot comment came off a little mean, huh?”
Drumming became slight knocking as he looked at the door of the storage room. Time was running out and he knew that very well.
“I don’t think it was mean- a little…” You trail off and make a humming noise. “You know?” You look at the back of his head; eyes trailing where his petals started. With him so close you could catch his scent… floral, in general. No specific flower came to mind- he smelled sweet and earthy. Not at all a bad fragrance to carry.

“Well,” His head lowered to the crack under the door. Muffled talking could be heard from the other side as a pair of feet appeared against the sliver of light.
“I didn’t mean for it to sound like that, Dewdrop, I really do enjoy spending some extra time with you,”
Contrasting his eagerness to remain in your gaze he now avoided yours as his eyes remained fixed on the door. He almost seemed to brace himself for it to fly open as the seconds ticked by. “We could maybe… play another game tonight- I mean… the party has just started-” You offer.
Dandy’s hands slow to a stop.
“If it makes you feel any better I don’t feel like you’re “neglecting” me- but if you really do want to hang out we’ve got all night,” You shrug- shifting your shoulder against the wall. You push yourself off of the wall. The change in position allows you to see a sliver of his face- frown now turned contemplative at your offer.

You aren’t given the chance to press on as the door opens- the chirp of Vee’s timer quickly being silenced as she swings the door open. She still seemed irritated… less so than before but there was still a twitch in her antennae.
“Clock’s up poster boy you better have made it count,” Vee doesn’t linger in the doorway. You catch Shelly say something to Vee but you don’t catch it as you step into the gift shop- greeted by the holiday music playing loudly over the speakers…

You’d think the music would stop after closing.

“Come on, everyone’s waiting,” Vee jerked her thumb over her shoulder.
You glance over your shoulder to find Dandy still standing in the storage room- thinking.
Vee beats you before you can speak.
“Come on-” She repeated. That seemed to snap Dandy out of it- and like he had been practising he brightened up. The crinkles of his eyes as he pulled another smile on his face didn’t feel right as he nearly skipped to the doorway.
“Coming coming- no need to be so impatient, if I hadn’t known better I’d’ve thought you were eager for your turn,” He teased, earning a scoff from the show host.
“As if. I don’t need to rely on a game to talk about my feelings,” She shot back.

Dandy grew rigid for a second.
And continued on like it was nothing.

“Dewdrop,” He slipped his hand around your upper arm. “I’m gonna hold you to your promise of hanging out, you know,”
His hand felt warm and clammy against your skin.

“I’m sure you will- didn’t you have an episode about promises or something? Importance of keeping them or something?” You let him pull you back to the party. He had a knack for pulling you around wherever he wanted.
“It was a good episode!”

You couldn’t deny that.

You also couldn’t deny the way Dandy hovered around you for the rest of the night, even long after the first game of the night had ended and moved to another. Still, a voice in the back of your mind tried to insist that he truly only did miss you, as a friend

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Your fingers graze against something plastic- buttons all over the front of whatever you had found. Rubbery, almost. The skin of your thumb lightly caught on the grip of the material as you ran your hand over it. After a second your fingers wrap around the item and tug it out- a green remote. A circle runs against the buttons one last time to confirm that they were what you were feeling.
“Uhm-” You start as you look around. Green device that suspiciously looks like a tv remote. There weren’t many toons that you could say would have such an item.

Your eyes landed on Vee, who had been waiting for you to connect the dots.

“Oh-!” was all Dandy said as he let go of the sack and let it slump heavily to the ground- the sound of items thumping against each other dampened by the thick velvety material of the bag. His hands folded together as he visibly fought to keep his grin plastered across his face. His squinted eyes ripped themselves away from you and landed on Vee. “Well ain’t you a lucky one,”
Disgustingly sweet and fake. Vee only barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. “Do you want me to time this, or-”
Dandy almost immediately silenced the tv toon much to her annoyance. “No need! Besides I wouldn’t want you to give yourself an extra minute or two,” He winked. You only stood there awkwardly as the interaction unfolded. Dandy’s eyes dragged across the staring crowd… his eyes skipped past Goob, and Brightney, as well as Rodger. Before they finally settled on Gigi. The capsule toon’s eyes flicked to Connie on her right before settling back on Dandy.

“Gigi,”
Her sweater sleeves shifted slightly in front of her. “I don’t have a watch-”
“Gigi.” Dandy’s voice came out firmer. The two stared hard at one another before begrudgingly Gigi popped the cap of her head open and- after a few seconds and removing a few items (some earning a few comments from the surrounding toons)- she fished out a stopwatch. Almost instantly Dandy took it from her hands and began to shift it around in his hands. “I knew I could count on you,”
No one laughed.

“Let’s just get this done with,” Vee shifted towards you as everyone’s attention remained fixed on the flower. You were partly grateful for the chance to slip away. You hadn’t realized how awkward things would get once you actually drew an item. “Here…” You mumbled under your breath as you passed the remote to her- nearly tripping on your own feet in the process as her hand lightly pressed in the middle of your back to get you moving. Firm but light, just enough to uproot you. Your throat lightly struggled as you tried to recompose yourself. It wasn’t like you and Vee weren’t familiar with one another… it’s just that this was the first real time you were going to be spending one on one time with her, even if for less than ten minutes.

“Seven minutes you two!” Dandy shouted out behind you as you both rounded the corner into the gift shop, and to the storage room behind it… that was where you were meant to go- you think at least. A usually locked door wouldn’t be open otherwise… maybe…

The green glow of Vee’s screen doused everything in its light… you must have looked sickly under it if the slightly longer than necessary stare the other toon gave you told you anything.

“Soo.. seven minutes…” You awkwardly pat your palms to the sides of your thighs as you shift around awkwardly on your feet. There wasn’t really anywhere to sit aside from sinking down to the floor. Which was absolutely covered in dust asides from the bare areas where staff commonly walked around.
The space right where Shelly’s merch was held was much dustier than other main’s boxes- shirts and keychains mostly you had to assume. You swipe your foot across an area on the floor in an attempt to clear the space for you. Once you got it as clean as you could you sank to the floor- using the wall as a support behind you.

“That’s the name of the game,” Vee finally responded after watching your little attempt to keep any excess dust from clinging onto you. “You’re aware that’s an uphill battle-”
Vee pressed her back against the wall, she didn’t join you on the floor. Her head leaned forward slightly to keep the back of her head from clanking against the metal door’s frame. “-and you’re not gonna win it,” She added.
You cringed slightly. She was right, you were most certainly going to have dust all over your legs and backside. You force the light grimace on your face into a wry smile.
“You don’t know that- I know I ain’t much of a winner… but if I can win your show at least once I think I can win against some dust,”
At least… you could win when Scraps wasn’t around. You had to ask her what her strategy was when you got a hold of the papercraft toon… though… now that you thought about it, it didn't seem she had one. You’d have better luck seeking out Brightney for help.

“If that’s what will make you feel better,”
Vee’s hand freed itself from the wall behind her. The next second her mic was within view- you’d have to ask her how she stored it… but the question died in your throat as you watched her spin the item in her fingers and check the switch in its side. She looked more bored than anything. Her pointer lightly tapped the end before twirling it around in her fingers once more.

“So…. seven minutes in heaven…” You finally broke the silence after about twenty seconds passed. “No offense Vee but… uhm…” You trail off when her eyes flick towards your sitting form. After a second to let your jaw click and tense against your teeth you force your words to pry your mouth back open.
“Just doesn’t seem like your style is all, not that I don’t think you shouldn’t play if you want to-” You added the last part hastily as her brow began to rise up along her screen. The lack of muscle and form allowed for the line to rise higher- almost to a comical degree. If you didn’t know Vee at all you would have thought she was genuinely trying to get you to laugh with that.

Another few seconds drag by before Vee finally decides to speak.
“Shelly,” She started before trailing off. “...said it would feel weird if she were the only main putting something into the bag,” She shrugged casually. You only offer a hum in a response. What exactly were you to say to that? By the sounds of it, Vee- and likely the other main toons aside from Shelly- weren’t all that interested in the game. You could argue Dandy was eager, he was the one who brought the game up.

“Well, I think it’s sweet that you at least humored her,” You give her a faint smile. It was all you could really give as the awkward air continued to hang around the two of you. A part of you was half tempted to ask her if she still timed the game… at least then you’d know how much longer you needed to be in here.
Not only was it dusty but the air itself felt stale against your tongue. The room really… really… needed to be aired out. You could only imagine what the plushies and shirts stored in here smelled like if just the air smelled like this.

You didn’t even notice Vee’s eyes still fixed on you as you looked down at the floor- your finger now finding itself to the dust on the floorboards and drawing scribbles into the layer covering the floor. Nothing important, lines and squiggles mostly.
“I don’t really… know much about-” She was… a tv, right..? You hated to admit that sometimes you got confused on whether she was one or a computer. You didn’t want to risk an awkward mix up. “-electronics… but all this dust isn’t going to mess you up right? Get up all inside your head and…” You trail off and let your hand still. Your nail taps lightly for a few seconds… you worded that okay, right?
You tilt your head up to find her gaze still fixed on you.

“You don’t seem like the type to play games like this, either,” Vee completely ignored your question. Her brows knitted close together but she didn’t look angry. More confused and curious even if her eyes remained just slightly narrowed. It’s just how she looked.
The wood underneath you both creeks slightly as you shift around on your spot on the floor- your tongue suddenly felt a little dryer than it should. You chalk it up to the dust dancing through the air. You wished the air conditioning in the room worked.
Ignoring that all the crashing heat radiating through you solely came from your own body. The room itself was actually on the chilly side.
There was absolutely no reason for you to clam up like this now- but the tone she used sounded like the exact same one she used on her show; and you felt like you were just given a tough piece of trivia that you didn’t know the answer to.

It felt like an eternity before you felt like your voice wouldn’t crack and betray you. In reality it was probably only for a few seconds.
“Dandy tried to call me a coward, and I wanted to prove him wrong I guess?” now it was your turn to shrug.
Sure, Dandy was probably aiming to have you be the first to go given he was skipping over people when trying to choose- and he wasn’t at all being sneaky about it- but you assumed it was because you hadn’t put something into the sack yet. Partly because you weren’t sure you were going to see it again with Gigi around… and partly because you simply didn’t have anything on you on hand that screamed “you”.

For a second it crossed your mind on why Vee even had her remote on her at the time, if she hadn’t intended to play.

“Doesn’t mean you should play if you don’t want to,” Vee finally pulled her eyes away from you and shot them to the door. Silence on the other side save for the muffled and distant sound of music from the party down the hall outside. “You don’t have to appease someone else,”
Her antenna stretched and twitched almost irritably in the air. You suck in your cheek and chew the flesh lightly. Weird phrasing from her part, if you had to be honest.
“I mean…” Your fingers drum against the floor. “I’ve never turned down your offers to go play on your gameshow, and honestly-” Vee’s eyes snap back to you and you suddenly find yourself staring really hard at the floor. Wood certainly looked nice! Even if it was absolutely riddled with dirt and dust and-

“I mean… I pulled you, at least. It’s nice having you around, you know, even if this isn’t our usual interaction…” You chance a look back at her. “...you know..?”
The only sound in the room is the soft buzz of her screen.

“We don’t just have to see each other on set,” She finally said… before sighing- or scoffing? A combination of both. There was frustration in it but it wasn’t… directed… it didn’t feel like it was.
“I’m busier than I’d like to be, I’ll be honest about that,”
You shifted around slightly. “I’m not saying you have to squeeze me in-”
“I’m not saying I have to squeeze you in, I want to make the time.” Her arms fold over her chest as the words settle in the space between you both. “And I will,”

You open your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. All you had said was that you were at least okay with being made to spend some time alone in a dark room with her- compared to some of the other toons. Sure you didn’t… outright say you were happy, just that it was nice. An immediate promise to see you again on her part almost felt… out there. Forced. Forced in the way a promise was, rather than an obligation.

“You don’t gotta-” You aren’t given much time to finish your words as the door is suddenly swung open. Vee hissed sharply, but otherwise didn’t move much- the glow of her screen dimming against the flood of light from the gift shop outside.
“Time’s-”

The stopwatch clutched in Dandy’s hand went off- he was a few seconds early.
“-up-” He stared between you and Vee, still tense in the doorway as he leaned against the doorway’s frame. You both weren’t really close to one another, and the sight seemed to be enough to pacify him enough to pull himself out of the doorway.
“Seven minutes are up,” He repeated.
“Yeah, yeah. I heard.” Vee scoffed as she pushed herself off of the wall. Her antenna twitched irritably as Dandy stared for a few more seconds before finally peeling himself out of the doorway.

It was…

Weird to say the least.

“Come on.” Vee’s words are short as she offers you one of her hands to help you up. After a second you finally take it and rise to your feet. You didn’t dare look down at the floor to see what imprint you left.
“Why don’t you stop by my room tomorrow, after the visitors leave.” Her hand remained in yours for a few seconds before pulling away. The way her arm fell to a rest at her side almost felt awkward.
“We could figure out something that works with my schedule,” She clarified.
Your feet shifted around under you. “Vee..”
“I insist,”

Her gaze was firm and hard against your more unsteady one.

You couldn’t really argue back with her right now, right?

You only offer a nod. At the motion Vee returned it, and stepped out of the storage room. “You’ve got dust all over you, by the way,”

And then she walked off to join the others- her slower pace missed by you to give you ample time to catch up with her after swiping as much of the mess off of you as you could…

Chapter Text

The front lobby smelled strongly of flowers and sugar- candy most definitely but the specific kind too varied for you to properly pin point. All things considered the lobby looked the same as it always did save for the paper decor lining the walls. Bassie’s face, Cocoa’s legs, and of course… eggs. So many eggs. But that wasn’t what had caught your eye; you’ve already grown used to the Easter decor over the past few weeks… and as the holiday drew closer to an end Dandy decided to throw a going away party of sorts because the four holiday toons had to retire until next year.
Small round plastic tables had been snatched from other floors and dressed in pastel coverings. Treats- mostly candy- adorned each table. Some egg shaped cookies did catch your eye, as well as a sizable tower of meringue… you could only hope they’d last before the air forced them to soften.

You nearly bumped into another toon as your eyes trailed along the walls. The lights above were dimmed. Instead the lighting came from all sorts of different fairy lights. Most only colored, but some larger bulbs were shaped.
Bunnies and butterflies and baskets- and of course, eggs. You can’t have Easter without eggs.
You mutter an apology as Flyte spun around on his heel quick enough to nearly knock you back on your feet. The ends of his wings catch you before you fall and rest on your shoulders to steady your form before they retreat back behind him. “Woah-! Slow it down there Buttercup!”
The butterfly took a step back to give you some space. His eyes darted across you to ensure you were fine. “It’s packed in here,” He commented… but he didn’t follow up. Flyte was never shy, but you couldn’t blame him for being at least a little overwhelmed at the sight of so many toons in the same place- you would be too if you spent most of the year with a smaller group.
“Didn’t think everyone would come- I’m assuming Dandy told the rest of the Easter toons about the party?” You run a hand over your clothing to smooth out any newly formed wrinkles.

You scanned the room. Tish and Astro both sat together prepping bedding for everyone… by the looks of things it was to be a sleepover tonight… maybe you could run up to your room to grab your sleepwear…
Sprout and Cosmo did last minute rearrangements for the baked goods they’ve most definitely spent the last few hours working on… they seemed to struggle to make the arrangements as pretty as possible. Boxten stood nearby awkwardly fumbling with his hands- any attempt to speak seemed to fail in his throat.
You couldn’t help but notice Bassie tailing after Dandy as he carried an almost comically large basket- stopping by everyone to make them put something into it.
Cocoa hopped around helping anyone who looked lost or needed help with last second preparations as the last handful of toons made their way to the lobby. The elevator’s ding was drowned by the music flooding the air.
Eggson… seemed to be looking for something…

“He did, actually he was rather adamant that we joined- said the party was for us… mostly…” Flyte brought your attention back to him with his words.
“Mostly..?”
His wings only fluttered and curled- his own personal version of a shrug. A soft hum is all you can think to give him in response.

A few seconds pass.

“So… that basket Dandy’s got…” You weakly point at the flower as he zipped around from toon to toon. “What’s that all about?”
Flyte’s feet shuffled against the wooden floor under him. “Not sure, Dandy didn’t really explain. Just told me to put something in- he’s probably going to ask the same from you, looks like he’s doing the same with everyone else,” His wings flex and stretch in the air behind him before relaxing.
“Are your wings bothering you?” You couldn’t help but allow your eyes to land on the thin… material… whatever it was. You always thought it was cute that he and his sister’s colors were nearly completely inverted. Pink fuzzy skin and blue wings for Flutter, the opposite for her brother.
Even the makeup around their eyes were opposites.

The sweetened feeling is pushed aside to focus on the conversation at hand.
“Just stretching them out- I don’t get much of an opportunity to fly around during the year you know- not much space,”
And it seemed the limited time out and about was hardly enough to give his wings time to untense fully, if the constant adjustments told you anything. “Makes sense, I think I’d be pretty pent up if I had wings and couldn’t use them whenever,” You copy his shifting as your eyes kept darting to Dandy. Nearly as soon as toons joined the party, he rushed to them with the basket.
Despite his clear eagerness to hound everyone, he hasn’t approached you yet. In a weird way you almost felt rejected and offended. Were you not good enough to be harassed into putting something of yours in his hands?

Flyte was stolen from you as Eggson approached him to talk- and as much as you enjoyed the older toon’s presence you had heard more than your fair share of eggs and hunts- egg hunts as he stressed they be called- in the past few days.

You continued your awkward shuffle to the side and hoped the egg didn’t notice you- and in the process you bumped into yet another toon. The warm smell of chocolate instantly almost overwhelmed you as you took a step back.
“Woah- Slow your roll Sunflower-” Cocoa did not budge from her stance as you continued your trajectory into her for a split second longer before you snapped yourself back to the moment.
“Ah- haha..” You could only laugh awkwardly. In less than five minutes you’ve bumped into two different toons. “Flyte told me the same thing…”
You quickly glance down at your clothing to make sure none of her chocolate left a mark on the fabric- thankfully it didn’t seem Cocoa melted easy. The rabbit shifted her stance- lightly tilting her head at you. “Did he? Are you feeling alright? It’s not like you to…” She trailed off before knocking her paws together to mimic the collision. You sheepishly wave her off.
“Yeah yeah- just a lot of…” Your mouth twitches into a tightened line before shifting to a grimace, and relaxing. “Stuff going on at once- all the lights and music and toons- just a little disoriented is all,”
It wasn’t entirely a lie. There was simply so much going on at once. All of the movement around you didn’t make things any easier.

Cocoa’s smile wilted to give way to concern.
“Well, why don’t you come take a seat with me on one of the benches… Dandy said there’s a game starting soon- I’d hate for you to not feel your best and have to sit out for it,”
The rabbit toon took a half step closer, but overall remained a respectable distance from you.

You almost deny her on the spot, but you aren’t given the chance as the music suddenly falls quieter- Dandy standing near the center of the room calling for everyone to gather for the game. Most toons did. Others only glanced at him to give him some attention- still on the fence of whether they would participate. Some simply remained at their previous activity.

“Sunflower,” Cocoa said softly.
“It’ll be fine-! Knowing Dandy, he’ll let me skip it if it’s something too intense,” You lightly wave her off as you shuffle towards the crowd. Her nose twitched for a second before stilling.
“Well…” She took a step to remain at your side. “You know yourself best, but don’t force yourself if it’s too much,”
You bite back the urge to tell her to do the same. One could only imagine how much was weighing on her shoulders with her constant habit of lending a paw to other toons. Speaking of her paws, one of them found itself on your shoulder. A silent attempt to keep you steady and from walking into another toon.

As you and Cocoa make it to the group there was already some chatter.

“-Seven minutes in heaven? What are we, a bunch of-” Gigi speaks up only to be lightly elbowed by Connie- who’s gaze was only somewhat obviously fixed on a certain lamp toon.
Eggson grumbled something about never hearing about the game- mildly annoyed that “you young people are always making things up so fast”, at least something along those lines over the overlapped chatter.
Dandy somewhat patiently waited for the talk to die down; one of his brows growing tense as the talk continued to carry on. The flower cleared his throat loud enough to cut through the crowd and regain everyone’s attention. “If you don’t want to play, by all means you can sit this one out! We’ve got all night to play other games,”
The basket he had been holding finds itself in his hands again… and a few groans and “ohs” come from the crowd as the dots are finally put together.

The basket is raised higher, almost like a flowery spectacle. Some petals- whether paper or genuine- fell off the sides of the basket and floated lazily to the floor below. The poor thing looked absolutely stuffed to the brim- the only thing covering the items inside was a checkered pastel cloth.
Dandy shifted the basket by the handle to push his point.

And his eyes suddenly landed right on you. Snapped to you more like it. Several pairs of eyes drifted to you.

“Dewdrop! I don’t think I’ve gotten something from you to put in, so that makes you first up I suppose!”
His tone didn’t at all make it sound like he accidentally skipped you. The flower took a step closer with the basket. “Of course, you don’t have to join the game, but,’

Cocoa’s paw shifted on your shoulder and you glanced at her for half a second. She looked a cross between worried and supportive. Whatever choice you made you knew she would allow. She was helpful, but she always did her best to not impose.

The basket creaked pathetically as Dandy held it out in front of you- and without giving it much more thought your hand reached forward.
How bad could the outcome be? It’s not like there were rules for the game outside of spending seven minutes with another toon.
“By the way, you’ll all be spending your seven minutes in the gift shop- figured it was best to give the players privacy,” Dandy smiled at you as your fingers brushed past the cloth. The grin stretched as he looked to Vee. “You wouldn’t mind setting a timer, would you?”
The tv scoffed, and muttered something.

You push your hand in deeper… and all eyes are on you…

Your fingers wrap around something, and you pull out…

Chapter Text

You push your hand in deeper… and all eyes are on you…

Your fingers wrap around something, and you pull out…

Something smooth and round. It almost felt like plastic in your hands- and your fingers caught on something sticking out of the top of the thing. One side was curved, and the other flat. A second later you pulled the thing out into the air and… you still had no idea what it was. It looked like one of those cooking timers, but… not quite. Kitchen timers didn’t have an antenna.. At least the ones you’ve seen Sprout and Cosmo use didn’t have any. The entire thing was curved, too, setting it down and keeping it from toppling over would be a nightmare in the kitchen.

You had… absolutely no idea what it was meant to be.

“Uhm-” You hold the item higher into the air to show it off to the toons around you. Even Dandy looked like he was having a hard time trying to figure out who it belonged to… before the owner stepped up- Eggson… probably the last person you would expect to play this game… but to be fair Dandy had only just revealed why he was collecting items.
A part of you wondered if the older toon even knew what the game tended to entail… your jaw remained clamped shut, Dandy’s seemed to do the same as Eggson pushed his glasses up.

“Why… I think that’s mine,” The egg toon’s hand fell from his glasses, the other gripping the top of his cane firmly to keep him steady. Awkwardly you pushed the… whatever device it was… to his now opened hand.
The thought to ask what it was didn’t cross your mind as Dandy straightened his stance. “Well! I suppose that settles who our first two players are!”
A tenseness laid in his words, but overall he almost sounded… relieved. Like he was glad you hadn’t drawn someone else… even if there was still a pang of disappointment laced in the gaps of his words.
Eggson muttered something asking for a reward. He… really did not seem to know what the game was meant to be.

“You’ve both got seven minutes,” Dandy clasped his hands together, before turning his attention to Vee- to act as his timer you had to guess.
Cocoa’s hand finally fell from your shoulder. Even she looked relieved- knowing Eggson nothing was going to happen aside from having your head talked off with his stories. Not that that was too terribly bad. Your hand found itself to Eggson’s slightly curved back… the fabric of his vest was… soft… almost silky under your fingers.
“Come on, game’s starting,” You leaned down slightly to where his ear would’ve been if he had any.
“What’s the game?” He asked, slightly irked that no one was answering his questions as you walked him down the hall to the gift shop. The door to the storage room was already hanging open… and as you stepped in you grabbed one of the plastic chairs left behind in the shop to bring inside for Eggson.
“Here,” You set it to the side and guided him towards it. You set yourself against the wall to his right- the door shut and doused you both in darkness.
Eggson wasn’t as frail as he looked, but the sheer amount of dust in the air did force some worry to coil around your throat as the particles lazily floated through the air.

It didn’t even occur to you that you hadn’t answered his question until he repeated it- understandably a little more forceful and confused.

“There isn’t much to it, really, it’s, uuh…” You pat your palms against the wall behind you. How could you word it without sounding weird. Or without making it even more awkward? “You kind of just spend some time alone with someone? I mean there isn’t really… a set goal in mind, its ultimately up to the players-”
You weren’t technically lying.
Eggson let out an unamused huff.
“You kids these days really have a weird way of having fun. Back in my day, we played games like tags and chase and-”
You allowed him to go on and on… you couldn’t find it in yourself to remind him that he was designed to be older. Just as all the other toons were designed to be fully matured by the time they were put out into Gardenview… with a few exceptions, of course.

“I suppose red rover would be more fun than standing around in a closet in the dark,” You add in as his grumbling lulled slightly. “..though… I wouldn’t want you to get hurt,”
Eggson readjusted himself against his cane- still held in his hands as he leaned forward slightly on the chair you had given him. He waved you off.
“I’m not some tired old bitty who needs to be fretted over- I wouldn’t have become the egg hunting champion if I didn’t take a few risks,” his smile stretched across his face. “I’ve fallen out of my fair share of trees to secure my victories, you know,”

You force a smile across your face but the idea nearly mortified you.

“Well… if not for you- we still have some more… fragile toons… Scraps is… papery… and Finn’s made of glass- literally… I’m sure there’s a few more,” You shrugged.
Vee, too, maybe even Brightney… Rodger and Glisten’s glass faces crossed your mind for a moment. “Not worth the risk, you know?”
Eggson hummed softly in response. “You’re a kind toon, taking everyone else into consideration like that,” his hands curled and flexed around the curve of his cane. The elder toon tilted his face to get a better look at you- at least as best as he could in the dark.
“Say… why did you enter this…” his smile faltered slightly, as if the current round was painful to call a game, “...activity…”
His face untensed.
The corner of your mouth curled downwards in a faint grimace to match his own temporary one.
You knew why he entered- he was roped into it by Dandy by adding his item into the basket. Though… he could have backed out of the game- even if he didn’t fully understand it.

You, on the other hand…

The shrug of your shoulders did nothing to satisfy Eggson’s curiosity.
“I guess I didn’t really think much of it? I mean-” You cut yourself off and regather yourself.
But… perhaps it was his kindness… your clear discomfort was picked up by Eggson.
“Oh… you don’t need to feel pushed into giving an answer if you don’t have one,” his smile was earnest as his hand pulled itself towards you and lightly rested itself on your upper arm. The gesture was small, but it did wonders in soothing your current state.

“It’s not like I was really looking for someone specifically to pull- not that I’m not happy to have you with me, of course,” You continue on. A glance is stolen from the corner of your eye, resting on his gentle features. A small part of you wondered if he would have been given the same grace and openness if he were drawn by someone else. The implications of the game tended to lead to similar outcomes- regardless of how far they went. Would someone have been a little less patient or understanding if they had pulled someone who clearly didn’t know what was going on?
His fingers trail a faint circle against your skin and you're brought back to the storage room. The dust stings your eyes, and the air felt nearly suffocating- your throat itched. Bad.

“This game isn’t just about sitting around doing nothing, is it?”
Eggson’s hand pulled itself away from you and settles with the other. A soft but faint groan rolls in your throat and your teeth clicked.
It didn’t how much you tried to dance around the topic, your words had betrayed you and gave the egg a little more context than you were intending.
As hyper focused as he was on “the old times” and the (egg) hunt, he was far more observant and in the moment than one might think.

Your feet suddenly looked really interesting, the way it pushed the dust and left streaks in it more captivating than the faint glint from his glasses- just barely catching the sliver of light creeping in through the bottom of the door.

“It… can be, but not always,” You drag the toe of your foot to draw a line in the dust. “Though… at least from what I’ve heard- I’ve… actually never been drawn before, if I’m being honest- the only reason I’m in here I guess is because Dandy made me draw-”
Your words die, and you take a moment to recollect yourself. It shouldn’t be this awkward to explain this. Sure, Eggson wasn’t cruel but he did have a tendency to judge things he didn’t fully understand- and you had a feeling he wouldn’t fully get this.
“A lot of people actually use this as a means to get closer-”
Again, not an entire lie. Wrapped in innocence, and it could be taken in any way.

“Ah, like lovebirds,”
And he saw right through it.

Your teeth clench against one another… you hadn’t meant to hesitate but it was enough confirmation for him. Both of your eyes fixed themselves intensely to your feet.

A few seconds passed, and just as you were expecting Eggson to go into one of his rambles about not understanding the younger generation… he… laughed.
Not at you- he covered it under his breath.

“I suppose you younger toons aren’t much different than us older folk,” Eggson readjusted his glasses. “Well…” he shifted around in the plastic chair- and fully turned his head to look at your wilted and mortified form.
“...even if I am not who you’d choose, I think you’re lovely,”

Your hands shift awkwardly against the wall behind you once more.

“Even more- you’re thoughtful, and kind. I may not fully understand this game… and truth be told I don’t think it’s my cup of tea, but as long as you have fun with it… who am I to judge?”
Another shift and he turned himself to fully face you from his chair- back no longer supported. His cane clacked gently against the wooden floor. “And I’m glad I have such a dear as my first,”

Another hum pulled from your chest.

“And I mean that,”

The tips of your feet press against one another. “I know you do- you don’t usually just say things to say them,”

Eggson chuckled again softly… and as he calmed, someone knocked on the other side of the door.
“Time’s up you two, time to come on out!”
It was Dandy… at least he gave you both the grace to open the door yourselves.
“Time really flew by, huh?” Eggson readjusted his glasses and a second later rose to his feet. He mutters a soft thanks as you help him rise- and… he offers you his free hand.

…and you take it without giving it much of a second thought.

“I’d offer you my entire arm, but… oh, I’m afraid it’s a little difficult to walk like that with my cane,” He apologized.
“No, no this is just fine,” Your hold squeezed around his hand before relaxing… you’re the one to open the door to greet Dandy on the other side- who’s eyes instantly fly down to the shared hold between you and the older toon.
“Ah,”

That was all. Whatever tenseness in the single noise wasn’t questioned by you- but it did earn a raised brow from Eggson.

“Come on, I’m sure you want to go back to… what were you looking for earlier, exactly…? I saw you wandering around the lobby earlier…” You ask under your breath as the two of you walk together down the hall.
“Oh, I was trying to see if I could find any eggs early- you know, they’re hosting the egg hunt tomorrow,” he grinned up at you. You purse your lips slightly.
“I think they’re putting the eggs out tomorrow morning- right before opening-”
“Well, it never hurts to scope out some hiding spots!” he snickered. “You should do the same, you might just be able to best me this time,”
You only shake your head slightly, but you couldn’t fight the smile curling at the edges of your mouth…

…and the sight seemed to satisfy him. He brightened just a little more- a new found pep in his step as he began to rattle on about some of his egg finding strategies.

….You… had a feeling he almost let slip what his item was before quickly redirecting.

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Whatever your fingers wrapped around… it was soft and almost silky. The top was round, almost ruffled… your fingers close around the more firm top of whatever the item was before drawing it out; carefully, in case it were anything delicate.
And for the first few seconds it wasn’t immediately obvious to you who it belonged to- and it would have remained that way if the golden medallion didn’t hold the image of a spiraled shell.
In an instant your eyes snap to the crowd of toons around you to try to pinpoint exactly where the owner was. Whether you missed her or her shorter frame- which was partially made so thanks to the flattened top of her head- slipped from your line of sight… you didn’t immediately find Shelly in the crowd.

Not until you held the ribbon higher in the air, only then did the main step forward.
And she looked more than a little happy that her item was drawn. Coincidence or not, she was chosen for something and she was over the moon.

“Ah-” the ammonite nearly tripped on her feet during her rush towards your side. “That’s mine-”
Shelly offered a soft thanks as you passed her ribbon back. A part of you wondered if she was going to put it back in the sack to go for a second round… but it was tucked away into one of the side pockets of her skirt… you didn’t even know she had pockets.
Neat.

“Right-” Dandy caught your attention again as the quick exchange died. His face was… hard to read. The crease of his brow looked out of place against the look in his eye and the smile on his face. It didn’t look right.
“Well! I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how much time you’ve both got- better make it count!” Dandy straightened up a bit as his eyes bounced between you and Shelly.
“R-right! Right come on-” Shelly perked up. Her hand reached for you- before stopping in the air. The split second tending of her fingers wasn’t lost on you as her hand fell to her side. “Come on-” She repeated in a more controlled and calmer tone.
“Right… coming..” You take one last glance to the flower. “Gift shop?”
He hummed his confirmation, and so the two of you left the rest of the party behind to walk down the hall to the open gift shop. Fake snow barely caught your eye as you allowed Shelly to step through the open storage room door.
“You think Dandy stole one of the staff’s keys to open this up?” Shelly asked as her eyes scanned across the room. She faltered at the sight of the sheer bulk of merchandise holding her face. Dust covered.

“Hm?”
You close the door behind you and squint against the darkness. Your eyes almost hurt trying to figure out what all was in front of you. A blind grab for the light switch revealed nothing. Either there wasn’t one in the room or it was elsewhere. You allow your hand to slide down awkwardly down the wall.
“Nevermind-! that doesn’t sound like something Dandy would do anyway-” Shelly spoke up again. A light frown couldn’t help but tug itself onto your face but you don’t push her to backtrack. A few clumsy steps are taken forward and you settle yourself into the nearest corner. At least the light creeping through the bottom of the door offered something for your eyes to work with. Just like Shelly’s plushes, the floor was absolutely caked in dust save for a track worked through. From the employees, most likely.

“So…”
A few seconds had passed before Shelly decided to break the silence. She pressed herself against a metal door somewhere a few feet in front of you; to your left.
“Is this your first time playing?”

A sort of awkward noise rumbled somewhere in the back of your throat. “It is, actually… is it… yours?”

The air tasted wrong. Regardless of it was the lack of life made visual in the form of particles or the way you both shuffled around in your own spaces… or a cringey combination of both… your tongue stuck uncomfortably to the roof of your mouth.
In a weird way, Shelly seemed the most likely out of the mains to enter such a game. There wasn’t any real reasoning for your idea outside of her eagerness to try to join in on any group activities.
It seemed too… much for Astro. Too time wasting for Vee, and too uncomfortable for Sprout. Dandy… also seemed like the type to enjoy such a game regardless of what intentions he had with it. He always tended to enjoy the games he played with friends.

You didn’t even notice Shelly had begun to speak again until she dismissed whatever it was and asked you something.

“No- no wait repeat that.” your tone came out squeaked and more forced than you meant. Your throat seizes against the air and your muscles. “Sorry- I just… I mean…”
Shelly stared expectantly at you… and for a second, there seemed to be something in her eyes that betrayed something. Hurt, maybe.
You didn’t mean to ignore her.

“I just zoned out a little is all-”
You nearly ask your own question, but the reminder that she had been talking before is enough to convince you to drop it for now.
“-what did you say?”

Shelly continued to stare for a few more seconds- and then…

“It’s nothing, really- I just wanted to know if you had anything planned after this game,” her usual smile tugged back across her face, followed by a small shrug. The motion seemed weird coming from her. You’d usually see something like that from Sprout.
Or maybe Shelly was a shrugger.

Her shoulder stiffened midair and sank back down. “I heard you helped Sprout help with the cookies, that’s pretty neat… I didn’t know you were into baking,”
You sucked in your cheek and ran the flesh over your clenched teeth. “I’m nowhere near as good as him and Cosmo, really- they were both hovering over my shoulder the whole time to make sure I didn’t mess anything up again-”
Shelly leaned in slightly. “Again?”
The tight line that made your mouth cracked into a sheepish smile accompanied by a dull huff. “I… mixed up the salt and sugar the last time they let me help…”
It was… a rather ugly mistake, too. You were nearly certain Sprout’s head would’ve dehydrated on the spot the moment he had bitten into your cookie.

At least Shelly found some humor in it- her best attempts to suppress the laugh just barely failed her.
“They look similar, okay! And it’s not my fault they put them in those new storage tubs. They should’ve labeled them if they didn’t want a mixup like that-” You lean into her amusement.
“I’m sure you get your bones all mixed up too-”
“Fossils,” She corrected.
You nearly lightheartedly rolled your eyes but something in the back of your mind made the motion come to a screeching halt.
“Yeah, well… you mostly have bones and stuff- don’t think I’ve seen any…” your hand waves around in the air but the motion does nothing to jog your memory. “Those… what’s it called when like… plants and stuff get fossilized?”
“...I think it’s still just fossils… now if you mean fossilization, there’s loads of ways something can be preserved..!”
Your hand fell back to your side.
“Huh… neat.. Thought it was just like… getting buried and pressurized- you’ll have to tell me more about it sometime- maybe not… now…”
Her smile seemed to freeze.
“...I’m sure you’re gonna want more than seven minutes to tell me all about it… I don’t think seven minutes could do any of it justice, anyway,”
She perked up slightly.
“Yeah! Yeah- Maybe… whenever you’re free! I don’t have much going on- Tisha may come along, too if you’re alright with that,”
And finally your smile becomes genuine to match hers. “I don’t see why not… speaking of Tisha… I’ve seriously gotta make it up to her, made a real mess of the kitchen earlier-”

The mention of the kitchen brought you back to the cookies… and the cookies backtracked you to Shelly’s question.

“Aaaaaand to answer your question- that I totally didn’t get sidetracked from, I… actually don’t know. I mean of course there’s the party, but… so many toons. So many things going on and things to choose from.. And I’ve got no idea if Dandy’s gonna do some other games… you know?”
Another nod from the shell.
“I understand… well… if it gets too much you can come sit down with me and Tisha- Yatta might be joining us… she’s been asking me to show her some sewing tips- and Sprout said he tore his scarf, so…” She trailed off. Her hands busied themselves with the fabric of her skirt; swishing it gently in the air and adding wrinkles to it.
“You can sew?”
Shelly’s hands jolted to a stop… then resumed their movements.

“Yeah- I’m no expert at it but it’s been nice having another hobby! Maybe I’ll pick another up soon, but… I’ve no idea which-”
You hum in response.
“Maybe we could find one together? I’ve been wanting to find something extra to do… bakings fun and all but sometimes the kitchen can get packed with me, Sprout, and Boxten… and Ginger… running around-”
“I heard Boxten’s taken up baking… how’s he doing with that?”
The corner of your mouth tugs to the side. Your hand waves.
So-so.
“He wasn’t with us today but I heard from Cosmo that he’s… doing better-! Actually… now that I think about it- I think he mixed salt and sugar too…” You trailed off.

“Yeah?” She tilted her head. A voice in the back of your head wondered how easy it would be to stack things on top of her head. You wondered if she’d let you if you asked.
“Think so…” You shift around. “Maybe you could show me some sewing too,”
“Or… I could sew everything up with you- only if you want me to, sewings not for everyone- not that I don’t think you’d be good at it if you tried-”
“I might take you up on that offer if I don’t pick it up quick… not the best with my hands and between you and me… the needles are a little intimidating,” You snicker. The other toon relaxed.
“I have a few thimbles on me if you need them… I don’t use them but… it’s always nice just in case,”
Your eyes dart to the pockets on the sides of her skirts again. “Always handy huh?”
“Mhm! I always try to keep something just in case someone needs it- bandaids for cuts… candy for pick me ups…” she trailed off.
…
“You got any candy to share right now?”
You were only half joking.
“I don’t… I gave the last to a visitor… they looked like they needed some,”
You hum with a nod. “That’s alright! My sweet tooth can wait-”

And your vague craving for sweetness didn’t need to wait for much longer.
Just as the conversation was about to continue to the next topic a series of knocks pulled you out of it. It felt like the time flew by and crawled agonizingly slow at the same time… but Dandy’s voice on the other side alerting you that time was up only cemented that this moment was over.
“Guess that’s our cue to wrap this up-” Shelly pushed herself off of the wall.
“It doesn’t have to be, I don’t think I’m going to enter for another round… honestly I mostly went along with it because Dandy put me on the spot- can’t let him think I’m some scaredy cat you know?” You copy her and push yourself away from the corner. Her mouth worked itself for a few seconds. “Besides, I’m more than satisfied that I got you as my first taste of the game- I don’t know why we don’t talk more… I wanna change that,”
Shelly’s mouth opened, but no sound came out aside from a single cut off syllable. Her second attempt wasn’t so fruitless… excitement thinly wrapped in casualness formed her tone.
“Yeah-”

“Come on you two! There’s still other people who wanna play-” Dandy’s voice cut right through Shelly’s softer one. You scoff under your breath and swing the door open. The flower still faltered under the remains of the glare you tried to hide. Your brows still tensed together and admittedly, your grip on the door handle was rough.
“We heard you the first time,”
“Ah-”
You try harder to force yourself to smooth your expression over. “Why don’t we grab some dessert and go chat somewhere, yeah? We can wait for Tish and Yatta if you’d like,” You shoot Shelly a glance over your shoulder.
The main remained silent for two seconds… before nodding. “You should show me what you made, I’ll be your unbiased judge,”

The bounce in her step gave you the sense she wasn’t as unbiased as you thought she’d be… but you made no comment about it as the two of you slipped by the stunned flower to the dessert table… you could only hope you didn’t repeat your past kitchen mistake…

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Whatever your fingers meet first is… hard and cold. You don’t even know how to begin describing the shape- something like a neck blooming out into a wider..
It’s a horn.
Your hand slides back to the opposite end of the bell end of it. A thick, almost uncomfortable rubber end caught against your skin. Even without seeing it it felt dense. Without giving it much through, your grip closed around the thing for a split second- and a cut off muffled honk attempted to squeak through the sack and the various other items drowning it.
That was enough to grab your curiosity enough to tug the item out into the air and… It was indeed a horn- the kind you’ve seen…

Your eyes snap to the owner of the clown horn. Looey nearly jumped under the way your eyes landed on him… but he didn’t let his surprise show for longer than half a second before he cracked his usual (albeit somewhat nervous) smile.

“Oh- Neat, you drew my-” He started but Yatta immediately started gushing. Her papery hands grabbed him by one of his shoulders and rocked him slightly… and for the first time since you’ve first met the toon she actually said something quietly in his ear. The long balloons on top of his head twitched slightly and the wag in his tail seemed to freeze.
The interaction only lasted for a few seconds- but whatever was said clearly had an effect on Looey as his eyes refused to fully settle on you. The eyes of the toons around you didn’t get much time to properly burn into the three of you before Dandy snatched everyone’s attention back.

He seemed… almost confident. More like cocky. For what reason you didn’t know. It almost reminded you of the way a character would immediately relax when they heard someone they fancied did not have feelings for some other party.
You shove the idea to the side.

“Well would you look at that, Dewdrop! You’ve at least got someone to entertain you for a few minutes,”
It almost sounded mean in it’s own way even through his sweet tone.
Yatta pushed Looey out of the crowd and he tried to hide the slight stumble in his step- whether he was a light toon or Yatta had pushed a little too hard… or both…
He closed the gap between the two of you.
The balloon forced himself to stand straight up under the gaze of everyone else. The nervous twitch in the side of his smile was not lost on you as Dandy continued on- as if you didn’t already know the rules of the game.
“We get it, Dandy,” You gently cut him off. Dandy’s words cut off with a click of his teeth, and he stares at you hard.
“Right! Right of course! Well, I’ll let you two go on and get-” the flower shifted himself to look at an already irritated looking Vee.
“Come on,” You muttered softly under your breath before the interaction between the two mains could unfold.
“Yeah- yeah right-” and Looey was right on your tail as you walked side by side down the long hall to the gift shop.
“Hope the room’s not too cold, I know it’s winter but… jeez…” you muttered softly under your breath as you stepped inside.

The room was indeed a little chilly. They had really wanted to lean into the winter wonderland theme. The coolness of the lobby may have also been a ploy to get visitors to come down to the much warmer and cozier Christmas themed floors.

“It’s not so bad,” Looey trailed behind you a few feet. He eyes scan around the gift shop. Some limited Christmas merch littered the shelves. Mugs for hot cocoa, character themed marshmallows, and of course plushies.
“You think it’s a little odd they’re selling recolors of you for Christmas?” Your eyes landed on an off color Christmas themed Looey plushie.
“I dunno… but I think I look pretty dapper with the hat,”
“Really highlights the head,” You teased softly. You barely catch the side eyed look the toon gives you before your eyes scan around the merchandise.
Antler headbands for Rudie, cookies “from” Ginger, and a really goofy looking Coal plush… they always made Pebble’s plushes look dopey and it seemed they’ve missed the mark with Coal.. though… you don’t hate the overstuffed round thing or it’s bulging eyes. They were cute in their own ways.

“You think we’re supposed to go into that door over there?” He finally broke the short pause of silence. You whipped around and sure enough the staff only door was open… how did…
You know what you weren’t going to question it, you were both already eating into your time for the round and it wouldn’t do either of you any good to stand around doing nothing.
You could stand around and do nothing in the dark storage room instead- and that’s exactly what you did for the first thirty seconds after you both stepped in.
The only sound was the soft creaking of Looey’s body as he shifted around on each of his feet.
A part of you wondered if he had grown so used to the sound that he stopped hearing it.
He stood only about a foot away from you to your right.

Your hands run slightly against the wall behind you for a few seconds. The squeak of his body lightly grating on your nerves as you tried to scrape your mind for anything to say.

“So…”
Another squeak as Looey turned his head to look at you, his gaze before darting across the room to take everything in.
“...What did Yatta say to you earlier? Looked like it was something… kinda serious? I mean you like- kinda looked a little stressed-?”
Looey’s squeaking came to a stop.
Silence… and then-

“Oh! Aha- she was just teasing me,” He played it off.
“About…? She doesn’t seem like the type to tease someone- at least I don’t think so? I actually… never get to spend all that much time with her-”
“You know…” Looey seized the chance to change the subject. “...if you want, you could join our troupe-”
He’d already asked you and just about every toon in Gardenview the same question. Your mouth tugged in a tight line and you made a soft clicking noise with your teeth.
“...I don’t know… I mean- Yatta’s got her acrobatics, Blot’s a mime, and you got your jokes and… you do tricks I think, right?”
“I can juggle!” He piped up eagerly. “...but I don’t have anything to juggle right now-”
Your eyes darted to the various merch items in the room. “There’s plushes in here-”
“Way to put someone on the spot- but-” Looey’s smile for a moment into an awkward grimace. He rubbed the back of his neck- at least… did he have a neck? You’ve never actually seen under his shirt collar- but the motion was still the same.
“They’re too… shaped… don’t tell them I said that-” his eye darted to the copious amounts of plushies- mostly Shellys but there were some Sprouts and Vees still stacked in a corner. The Shelly plushes nearly burst out of their box there were so many… but they looked otherwise untouched.

“Well, point is… circus stuff isn't really… my thing you know- being up on stage is your thing anyway,” You offer him a shrug.
“Ahahha- yeah, I guess it is my thing isn’t it?” Another string of awkward chuckles.
“Besides, I think three is enough- it’s not like you three are overloaded with having to entertain the visitors right?”
His laughs die off.
“Well… We aren’t, but you know what they say- the more the merrier?” Looey returned your shrug.
“I guess they do say that,” You hum.
Another break of near silence.

“You know…” Looey started up again. You bring your eyes back up to meet his and the second you make eye contact he tore his eyes away from yours. “..Yatta’s going to be busy with Blot all week, they’re thinking of doing a duo act some time soon- and…”
“What? Did they leave you behind in the dust?” You teased. A soft sort of high pitched squeak slipped into the air.
“I wouldn't say that- His head shrunk back slightly into his shoulders. He was looking anywhere but you- eyes wide against the dimness of the unorganized space. His rubber- latex?- hands shifted and rubbed against themselves as his fingers tensed and untensed.
It was only really now that you noticed that his face was completely flat- as if drawn on. Most of the other toons had depth to their faces… but Looey…
His mouth looked two dimensional as he opened it again to continue his awkward speech.
“-but I like you, so I was wondering if you wanted to come fill in that spare time? I need some feedback on some of my new material… and Yatta usually says everything is great, and Blot…” He trails off.

But you were stuck on the first few words.
It could have been a mix up. A tiny mix up that could change the meaning completely… and Looey didn’t seem to catch it like you did.
In a split second decision you pounce right on the wording.

“You like me?”
His chattering ramble was immediately cut short for a few seconds- and then a tidal wave to try to reword what he had said began to spill from his mouth.
“Your company! I like your company- you’re real neat, and you have a good sense of humor, and I like being around you- I mean who wouldn’t be? You get along with just about every toon here and I haven’t heard of any visitors not liking you either- and-”
And he went on and on for a few seconds to save face. You allowed him to keep going for a few more seconds. If had lungs you were sure he would have run out of air by now… but he simply kept going.
Maybe he really didn’t have lungs.
Did toons have organs? Maybe you’d ask another toon about it later- or maybe one of the staff. You bring yourself back into the moment at Looey’s side. He was still going on- his grin still plastered across his face in contrast to his ears laying flat against his round head.
“You don’t need to make an excuse, I like you too, you know,”
He kept going on for a few more seconds before he froze mid syllable.
“I’m sorry?” His tail flicked behind him and dully thumped against the wall behind him.

“I think you’re pretty neat, too,” You offer him a lopsided smile. His widened eyes finally settled themselves back on you… and after a few seconds of visible pondering he returned the same smile… albeit more exaggerated- his eye squinted under the hitch of his mouth.
“You got a cute smile too, I like how it kind of… quirks up on one side,” You point to one of your cheeks. The higher side of his mouth twitched slightly.
“Yeah?”
You hum a response and shift yourself to face your body towards him in full… you were getting tired of tilting your head to the side anyway… you hoped the constant turn wouldn’t leave your neck sore tomorrow.
“I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you- keep you company if that’s what you really want,” You offered. Your eyes scanned across his face as his brow furrowed together for a split second- bouncing around in uncertainty as he took another few seconds to pick your words apart to find their meaning.
Were you being sincere in your offer or was this a simple tease?

Why not both?

“Why don’t you come by my room when you want me to give you some feedback, all you gotta do is knock,” You shift your weight between your feet.
His mouth pried itself open stiffly. You could nearly hear how dry it sounded.
It shuts. His hands curl in on themselves again. And then he tries again.
“Yeah- Yeah! That works with me-” His tail started to sway behind him with a string of soft squeaking. Again, it thumped softly against the wall behind him.

“You’ve got a little something-” You reached a hand forward and swiped some of the dust that stuck and settled against his latex body. A part of you did not at all envy the material that made him up. You don’t think you could stand having random things stick to you like that.
Almost like there was muscle underneath the layer of rubber tensed under your palm. Your skin caught against the material and dragged- almost stuttering the motion.
“At least warn a toon first-” He weakly chuckled. Your hand tensed- and to your horror the door opened.

“You must’ve not heard me knocking but-”
Your hand immediately fell from Looey’s cheek as Dandy stood in the doorway. The light pouring in stung your eyes enough to make them water around the corners.
“Time’s up I guess,” You mumble softly as you let your hand try to find a natural position at your side.

You didn’t much like the look the flower was giving you… actually… Dandy’s eyes looked more like they had settled on Looey. It doesn’t last for much longer before he spins on his heel.
“I was even nice enough to give you an extra thirty seconds-! You didn’t answer the door!” the chipperness of his voice sounded fake as he started to wander away from the door.

Weird.

“Come on, he looks like he’s upset,” Looey muttered softly in your ear. You only offer him a silent nod as you both step out of the storage room, then to the gift shop… and as you stepped into the hall you both lingered for a few seconds.
It was just the two of you- Dandy already well out of ear shot.

The back of his head held your gaze for a few more seconds before you looked to the clown.
“I know joking is your thing, but… were you serious about liking me?”
He nearly tripped on his feet. It’d be funny- he was standing perfectly still a second prior- but it only came off as pathetic.
He seemed to shrink under your stare as it became more pointed. You could only hope you didn’t look too accusatory or judgemental to him.
He remained tensed… before simply relaxing- he looked about ready to deflate on the spot as he fell to admission.
“I was serious,” He finally confessed. “I do like you, a lot actually- but I’m like… totallyokaywithit– if you don’t feel the same-” he added the second part quickly; the words nearly smashing into one another.
He bounced on the balls of his feet- up and down. Then back up. You swear he sometimes moved as much as Yatta when his nervousness started to hit.

“In that case I meant what I said too, about liking you,” You offer him a smile- and his movements slowed just a tiny bit.
“Yeah?”
You hum in response.
He set his feet flat against the floor once more. His arms remained swaying slightly at his sides.
“Yeah,” you finally repeated his word back to him.
You steal a glance over your shoulder. No one had noticed yet that you hadn’t returned.
At least not until the next pair started making their way to the storage room- Brightney and Connie.
The ghost locks eyes with Looey for a split second- but no words are exchanged. But there was… a look exchanged.
You’d have to ask about that, too.

“Come on, I don’t think they’d like the idea of people hanging out right outside the door,” You lightly tug Looey by his upper arm.
And he allowed you. Not that he could fight back that much- he really did weigh like nothing in your hold.
The only toon who noticed your return to the party with Yatta- and soon Blot as she elbowed them…
“Wanna go hang out with them until the next game starts?” You shift your hold on his arm.
Looey- who seemed to finally find himself fully at your side- nodded. “Yeah! That’d be nice,”

And it was nice. In the time between the current game and the start of the next, Looey found himself once again fully comfortable in your presence- and you found yourself with a pair of new friends.

Chapter Text

You push your hand in deeper… and all eyes are on you…

Your fingers wrap around something, and you pull out…

It feels like a book. That’s the most blunt way you would describe whatever your fingers were brushing up against. Smooth, but there were patches of a soft felt spread and scattered across the covers. Loose pieces of paper and ribbon stuck out around the edges and caught against your fingers, threatening to cut across your skin if you weren’t more careful. A sort of latch was somewhere in the middle on the side. The button was still slightly warm from whoever had last held it.
Curiosity got the better of you and you allowed your hand to find a firmer hold on the item- careful of the pieces sticking out of the book- and tugged it out.
The papers were actually polaroid, though the images they held were kept hidden and tucked away within the scrap book. Soft felt flowers decorated the teal covers, and you couldn’t help but let your thumb swipe a gentle circle against the material… it felt nice, and for a passing moment you considered asking the owner if they had a second book to spare- or if they could show you how they did it.
Scrapbooking wasn’t much your hobby… but the personality this book held certainly ignited some passing interest.

But… you had no idea who the trinket belonged to. For a moment you thought it could have been Goob- it wouldn’t be unlike him to put a craft into the sack… but the style… didn’t exactly scream Goob. Not the colors, or the simple design. Messy insides maybe, but that wasn’t enough to convince you… Perhaps Brightney? But the style still didn’t quite fit…
Flutter?
No… she had a diary- you’ve overheard other toons mentioning it.

“That’d be mine,”
The voice didn’t belong to Goob or Brightney- instead you were met with Flyte as he stepped forward. A soft “oh!” is all you could give in the moment as you awkwardly present the item back to him, which he takes with his wing. Where it was tucked away… you had zero idea. You didn’t even know his wings could bend like that… neat… you’ve never seen Flutter’s wings function like hands, now that you thought about it.
You’re pulled out of your hand-wing thoughts as Dandy cleared his throat to get your attention… you must have been staring at the holiday toon for a little longer than you meant to. A wave of heat rolled across the back of your shoulders as you bring yourself to look at Gardenview’s poster boy.
“Earth to Dewdrop?” He teased lightly as he leaned in a little closer to you. When you blinked at him and offered a mumbled response he snickered softly. His green hands clapped together as he stood right back up. His black eyes darted between you and Flyte… lingering on the butterfly for a little longer than they had rested on you… like he was sizing the toon up.
Flyte stood at least half a head taller than Dandy… you never noticed just how tall he was… actually… Was he the tallest toon? You’d have to ask him to stand next to Sprout when you had the chance, maybe after this game.

“Come on,” Flyte gently nudged you with the soft tip of his wing to bring you back to the moment. You had completely missed when Dandy was saying, but you were sure it wasn’t anything important. More than likely a parroting of the game’s time limit.
“Yeah yeah, coming-” You spin on your heel to follow after Flyte, who had already started making his way to the hall towards the gift shop.

The walk itself to the shop- which smelled strongly of flowers and chocolate- and into the open storage room was uneventful and quiet. You didn’t know what to say, and Flyte mostly seemed focused on getting from point a to point b- not that he seemed against spending time with you or the game itself. He simply had a tendency to focus on a task until it was done… or maybe he just didn’t know how to open up a conversation right now.

Regardless, you were the one to break the silence as you settled yourself across from him on the opposite wall. The butterfly carefully leaned himself back on one of the walls- mindful of his wings- and propped his foot up against the wall behind him as support. A “cool guy” pose if you had to describe it. Loose and casual, but there was some personality in it.

“I didn’t know you were into scrapbooking,” You commented.
The foot pressed against the wall shifted around slightly to find a more comfortable angle. His antennae flicked slightly in the air- actually… they hardly remained still. It was dusty, and you were sure the appendages were sensitive. It was probably hell to be in here for a few seconds, let alone for a few minutes. You inwardly cringe.
He lifted his head up to meet your gaze.
“I like being able to keep track of moments- it gives me something to look back on when I gotta go away for the year,” He took a pause. “Gives me something to put together too… it's not much but it's something,”
You hum in response and shift against the cold wall behind you. The room was… warm. Not quite summer warm, but there was a vague stuffiness and humidity to the room that made your skin feel uncomfortable. Almost clammy even without the nerves squirming inside you. It must have been raining a lot outside- even concealed indoors the wet air found a way to force itself into Gardenview’s walls. It probably didn’t help that this was the highest floor- at least… the only floor that was on ground level.
“So like…. Do you use your wings to put it together, or..?” You press on. The wings in question flicked and flexed slightly at your mention of them. They don’t make much noise as they shift… not that you were expecting them to.

“Kinda?”
“Oh?”
He tried to offer a shrug but the motion was awkward thanks to the lack of arms and proper shoulders.
“Sometimes Cocoa helps me glue and trim things, I’m in charge of the placements- writing with wings actually isn’t all that hard once you get the hang of it,” the tips of his wings curled slightly for emphasis. “Actually… it’s mostly trimming that I need help with… scissors… you know,” He added.

Of course Cocoa would have been the one to help.

“Neat,” was all you could really muster.
So he liked scrapbooking. That’s all you really knew about him other than the fact he was a holiday toon and he was related to Flutter. If you were being honest… Cocoa was really the only Easter toon you really knew and hung out with… but that was mostly thanks to her friendly personality.
It’s not that Flyte was closed off or guarded like some other toons were- you vaguely remember Bassie getting a little defensive once when you had asked if pressing flowers was her only hobby- Eggson seemed to only have hobbies revolving around eggs… and he was more than open to share his stories regarding his past wins in the egg hunt.

“I guess you and your sister aren’t all that different- I think she’s got her own little… book… thing she keeps up with-” You shifted around against the wall behind you. “...but I guess you already know that, since you’re her brother and all-” You quietly mumbled under your breath.
“Of course I know about her diary- we got the books together,”
He didn’t sound as irritated as the words may have seemed. Actually… his face softened- as much as it could when his eyes were the only real visible part of it.
Did he have a mouth?
For a fraction of a second you wondered if one could still kiss someone if they had nothing to kiss with- you excuse it by blaming the thought on the game.

You focus back on Flyte as he continued to speak.
“We could maybe go to one of the gift shop floors… pick you up a book too- if you want,” He added the second part quickly. “..you looked like you were interested,”
You drum your fingers against the wall… the skin of your fingers stuck uncomfortably against the wallpaper. Not long enough to keep you from pressing your hands against it- but short enough to keep you touching it in short bursts. Did the air conditioning in this room even work? The dust nearly felt damp as it caught against your skin and clothing. Your hate for the room was steadily growing by the second- the idea of ditching the party to go to one of the gift shop floors seemed so much more desirable than staying in here for even another minute. So much for trying to spend this time to try to get to know the butterfly a little better. You silently curse that most toons were designed without shoes. Escaping the muggy space was possibly your biggest desire right now.

“It’d just collect dust somewhere, I don’t think scrapbooking is really something for me,” You glanced at his face. You didn’t even notice he had leaned in just a tiny bit closer to you. Sure, he was still across the room from you with at least a few feet between the both of you… but that tiny gesture…
You tear your eyes away and offer a shrug.
“It’d be a waste, someone else could put the book to better use,”
“It doesn’t have to be just pictures, it can be whatever you want it to be,”
He lightly tapped his foot against the wall behind him. “Writing… journaling… you could draw in it, too- and I’m sure it’d look better than anything I could make,” He huffed a soft chuckled under his breath. “I can barely draw a circle,”
Your palms are nearly peeled off of the wall and loop behind your arms as they’re crossed over your chest.
“I’ll think about it,”
“Well, you know I’ll be here for a few more weeks,” He finally lowered his other leg down to the floor. He shuffled around slightly. “I could show you how I did the felt too, if that’s something you’re interested in,”
You nod.
“I was wondering if the book came like that or if you had something to do with it,”
“Came in blank… but that just means you can make it however you want,”
You roll the idea around in your head… you’d decide on a design of your own when the time came for it.
“Alright… I’ll swing by…”
Where exactly did the Easter toons stay when they weren’t tending to visitors? You… actually don’t recall ever seeing any rooms dedicated to them. Did Gardenview even bother giving them their own living spaces like normal toons? It’d feel cruel if they didn’t.
“I usually hang around Flutter’s room and floor,”
You nodded softly. “Right, I’ll swing by her room when I’ve got some time to go book browsing with you,”

And right on time as the conversation closed itself someone knocked on the other door. For a boring and mundane conversation… you weren’t all that upset over not being able to dig much on the holiday toon, or that no action took place. Maybe that was because it meant you could finally free yourself from the stagnant aired dusty humid room. You did not at all like the way your shirt slightly peeled from the wall and restuck itself to your slightly sweaty back. Maybe you should have just stayed in the gift shop itself… but there was nothing that could be done about that now.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the dust from my fuzz,” Flyte muttered as he took in your own discomfort- and for a moment you felt like you got the long end of the stick. A shirt was a lot easier to mend than fur attached to your body.
“I can see if Gigi’s got a comb or something on her- it won’t… fix it, but…” You put your hand to the doorknob.
You… weren’t entirely sure if Gigi had a comb… but knowing her it was worth asking. Whether or not she’d cough it up though…

“Sounds better than trying to run my wings through it… they’re a little stiff still,”
You weren’t sure if you were supposed to take the comment seriously… but the image of Flyte trying to wrap his wing around any hypothetical comb didn’t sound… right.
“I could run it through your fuzz if you want,” You offered.
The door opened and you’re both met with Dandy. “About time!” He pushed himself off of the wall. You nod a greeting to him and muttered a hello before turning back to Flyte.
Dandy did not seem to like that all that much… but he didn’t cause much of a fuss as he let you both know the next round of the game was going to start soon before he himself left.

You both bask in the gift shop’s cooler air that could actually be circulated around.
“I wouldn’t mind that actually,”
“Good- now… we just gotta convince Gigi to actually give a comb to us,”

You were… not really looking forward to that but the half promise of running your hands through Flyte’s fluff- that admittedly looked really soft- was enough to give you enough to track down the kleptomaniac… and after some pressing you actually didn’t leave the interaction empty handed.

Chapter Text

You push your hand in deeper… and all eyes are on you…

Your fingers wrap around something, and you pull out…

Something soft- almost delicate. Your fingers retract almost instantly out of fear that whatever it was, you’d crush it in your hold. How it hadn’t already been flattened into a crumbled mass in the bag was a mystery- and quite frankly you were almost a little impressed. After a second or two standing under the expectant gazes of everyone’s eyes you push your hand back forward and carefully wrap your fingers around whatever it was… and almost agonizingly slowly you draw out whatever it was.
Two flowers, dried and preserved. Connected at the stem… you almost felt a twinge of annoyance that someone would put something so delicate into a bag- though you were sure it was far from the worst item choice inside the sack. The chance to scrape your brain for any idea of who could have been the one to put the item in is taken from you as a split second squeal suddenly silences itself. A moment later Bassie, now sheepish, shuffled to your side to mumble something about it being hers.
Despite the light embarrassment for her obvious display of the eagerness of being chosen- even by coincidence- her eyes still held some glimmer of… well, being picked. Bassie lightly pushed Cocoa- who still had her paw resting comfortingly on your shoulder- to the side.

Dandy stood quietly and watched the entire near wordless exchange before he recovered enough to clear his throat.
“Right! Bassie! Bassie and Dewdrop, I’m sure you both know how the game is supposed to go- to the gift shop with you!” Dandy turned to Vee, and fluttered his eyes. The television scoffed, before repeating the importance of getting a move on… she didn’t seem like she was going to wait for much longer to start the time. Bassie looked like she wanted to hold your hand… but settled on holding her own- clasping them together in front of her as you both shuffled out of everyone’s sights. Down the hall, to the right… into the gifthop- and through the open staff door. The smell of flowers from the gift shop was almost nauseating as you shut the door; sealing the scent away from you for the time being.

Bassie stood not too far away, shuffling her feet together quietly… she didn’t take a space against the wall or on the floor. Instead, she just stood there with nothing to lean her body against. You weren’t sure you blamed her entirely… the storage room looked like it hadn’t gotten a proper cleaning in a long long time… dust caked the floor and the walls didn’t look much better. Tracks carved themselves from the entrance and the second door- you didn’t even notice that there was a third door until you brushed against the cold metal handles of it. Double doors… where they lead… you had no theory.
One of Bassie’s hands rises to her right handle and readjusts it.

In the darkness you could tell that her flowers were… different. You swear they were different colors earlier today- there were more pink flowers earlier… they were still there, but light blue ones had joined the pink and purple petals piled into her head.
You point to your head almost awkwardly. “Did you change your flowers?”
Bassie’s fiddling hand froze mid shift and remained hooked around her handle. Her fingers pinched the woven material gently, before running the skin over the… what were baskets made of, exactly?
The catlike smile she usually kept on her face shifted slightly, parting barely as her first attempt to respond failed her. “I did-! I did!” She finally managed to get out, her words chirping in a higher note… forced, but there was an undertone of genuine joy in her voice.
You only nod in response… before realizing it made you come off as disinterested… and in the face of her happiness it made you feel a little bit like a jerk. “It looks nice… something different- fresh, you know?” Your hands swung awkwardly at your sides as you looked around the storage room. So… so much merch of toons- mostly the mains… all of the Easter toons were here, though… as well as some off colored plushies of some non-holiday toons. “Skins” in a weird way… even if some of them… were a little ugly. You decided it was best Looey didn’t know what they did to his likeness… assuming he didn’t come into the room later for his turn. If he got one.

“I’m really glad you picked me- I know it's only a coincidence, but,” Bassie caught your attention again as she broke through the pause of silence. Her eyes lowered to the floor as her feet shifted around in the dust and disturbed it… the grey matter sticking to her green stocking and staining them a faded color, clumps of it sticking to the faint fuzz. You swear you saw some shedded strands of hair in the mess. The effort it took to keep your face straight and to pry your eyes off of the… not very pleasant sight… it’s not like it was her fault- in hindsight you both probably should have stuck in the gift shop itself.
“I’m glad?”
You couldn’t keep the confusion out of your voice as you tried to look anywhere but her stockings. The stacks of plushies looming over you suddenly felt intimidating as they stared down at you with the same intensity of the stare you were under in the lobby- albeit this time it was all lifeless. You never noticed how much Pebble stared until you saw the emphasized bulging eyes of his plush. The back of your would be neck burned under the false stare as you continued to find somewhere to look- but each attempt forced your stare back into motion. The current task preoccupied your mind enough to hide the fact that Bassie had shuffled even closer to you- her hands still clasped in front of her- her own quickened breathing undetected to you until your eyes finally landed on her face- mere inches away.

“Woah- woah woah woah hey-!” You sputtered as you backed up a foot or two. In an instant Bassie began to backtrack.
“Sorry- sorry- I just thought-” Her hands flung to her mouth and covered it. “-I just thought that– with the game, you’d…” Her eyes snapped to the floor where your gaze once settled itself on. Your mouth stretched in a slanted line, your mind still reeling from the sudden turn of events.

She wasn’t… wrong.
The implications of the game were clear, even to you if this was your first time playing… but that didn’t shake the feeling of shock. Now you were shuffling your feet around as you racked your brain for any idea of how to make the situation just a little less awkward. Your mouth felt dry and you were fighting the urge to start coughing as dust clung to the back of your throat- no doubt going into a coughing fit would make things even worse… it certainly didn’t help that you were pretty sure Bassie was absolutely covered in pollen and that was starting to have an effect on you… how cruel it was for God to give you seasonal allergies, and to stick you in a room with a beacon of nature’s means of reproduction.

“It’s nothing against you- I mean I don’t… you kind of just swooped in, you know? Take a toon out for dinner at least,” You added the joke last minute in an attempt to try to soften the blow of rejection. It's not that you… disliked Bassie… and truth be told if she had asked or given some form of warning you may have leaned into her idea of what to do for the seven minutes.
“How come you and Cocoa are so… close.. All of a sudden?” She suddenly spoke up.
The sudden mention of the rabbit caught you completely off guard, more than her advancement a moment ago… and maybe you were wrong but you thought you saw a twinge of jealousy in her eyes as her stare sharpened against the floor.
A soft huh pushed her to keep going.
“You never used to let her hang on to you like that- or maybe I’m misremembering?”
You scrunched your face. What was she… and then you remembered- the paw Cocoa had settled on your shoulder to keep you steady, and the paw that remained as you gathered with everyone else for the game. You didn’t think anyone would notice- and you had tuned out the feel of Cocoa’s hold on you.

“Oh- that,” You made a weird humming sound.
It was… weird to bring up Cocoa in specific, you weren’t going to lie. You’ve been close to other toons before in front of Bassie, but… it seemed there was a line that you unknowingly crossed.
The hostility in the basket’s voice was unmistakable as she dedicated herself to silently stewing in front of you.
“She was just making sure I didn’t bump into anyone else- you should’ve seen it, hit her and Flyte- she was just worried is all-”
And she huffed at you.

Your face dropped it’s confused look and morphed into a frown, while Bassie’s turned into a barely contained scowl.
“Of course she’d jump on the chance to…” She trailed off through clenched teeth as she finally brought her hot gaze up to you… the hostility in them you weren’t sure was aimed at you or the other holiday toon down the hall. Maybe both. She looked at you like you had somehow betrayed her. You did your best to stand your ground under her glare.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing, I think it’s sweet that she-”
“I could have done that, why didn’t you ask me?” She cut you off. You fall quiet.
This was nothing like the quiet wallflowery toon you had gotten used to being around. There was a certain resentment in her stance that could be seen from a mile away.

Passing glares shot to the rabbit and the way she fell silent the moment Cocoa had started to speak suddenly became obvious as you rapidly combed through your memories in a desperate search for something to say to calm the toon down.
“Do you… not like Cocoa?”
“Yes!” She blurted out. “No!.. No I-” she backtracked for the second time and took a hissing breath through her clenched teeth.
“I don’t.” She finally drew out as she stepped away from her spot in the middle of the room and leaned against one of the walls- before letting herself slump down into the dust… you don’t immediately say anything as Bassie pulled her knees to her chest and wilted into herself.

“Everyone fawns over her- followers her lead… that’s supposed to be my job,” She mumbled under her breath as the fire in her rapidly died into something mushy and sopping wet. There was still a hot storm of emotion swirling in her black eyes as her fingers dug into her knees.
You let her statement hang in the air.

It was a lot to unpack. How could you even start to unpack it? As far as you were concerned the pair were friends- at least that’s how Cocoa made it seem whenever she talked about Bassie… and you had always assumed Bassie was… being herself… when she clammed up around the rabbit.
A soft sigh escaped your throat as you followed the main to her sitting spot and settled yourself next to her with plenty of space between the two of you.
“Have you… talked to her about it?”
Bassie’s fingers sunk deeper into her legs before they forced themselves away to find themselves lightly tugging on her handles. Some hesitation… and you reach your hand to place over hers to stop the yanking.
“What is there to talk about-”
Her hands were so tense under yours as they twitched and scraped at the weaved patterns all over her head. At least your touch made the yanking stop.
“She should know that it's my job- its what I was made for- I’m the one plastered everywhere not her.”
You frowned.

This was. Far above your paygrade- and you weren’t being paid at all. Playing therapist for someone in a dark closet was the last thing you thought you were going to be doing tonight.

“I’m sure she doesn’t mean to step on your toes?” You pulled your hand away and let your sweaty palm rest on the floor. You’d clean later.
“I mean… it’s… Cocoa… I’m sure if you told her she would underst-”
“You wouldn’t get it, you’re just a.. You’re not a main toon like me- you’re not put under the same standards like I am.” She cut over you again before taking a deep breath. Once more her hands shifted around; one of her hands finds themselves to one of her flowers- which had been slightly jostled out of its secure spot in her basket and hung limply over the edge. The blue petal is pinched between her fingers… and it barely keeps itself attached to the rest of the flower as she rubbed the petal.
She did have a point. Even if her tone was sharp and her breathing was rapid and shallow.

You weren’t a main, and you’d probably never know just how much pressure they’re put under. The best you could say was that you saw how the staff held higher expectations for them and they were more likely to be swamped by visitors- but the true extent?

“Well-”

The door swings open as Dandy announces time was up. In an instant Bassie started to try to regain herself. The flower toon stood in the doorway awkwardly for a few seconds as he surveyed the mess in front of him.

Horribly he almost looked faintly pleased that the two of you weren’t having that good of a time.

“Uhm… time’s up..!” He repeated before shuffling out of the doorway- the light flooding in now that he wasn’t blocking it out. You shout after him about knocking next time- your discomfort shoved to the side to make way for pure annoyance. Bassie wasted no time in standing to her feet- and with a half hearted attempt to get the mess off of her she beelined quickly for the door.

“Hey-” You shoved yourself off of the floor and tried to rush after her… for someone so… short… you didn’t expect her to be so fast. You were almost tempted to make a grab for her but your hand froze before it could wrap around her wrist.
She didn’t stop for you. In less than a second she was in the doorway of the gift shop and making her escape.
“I want to understand- can you at least-” You tried to keep up with her.
She at least slowed down enough to let you catch up.

“I don’t want to say right off the bat that I get what’s going on, or that I have answers- but…” You loop around her side. Her face still obviously looked distressed as she fought hard to make her expression neutral.

“Why don’t we go up to my room for now? At least until you’re feeling better-”

You had a sick feeling Cocoa would come ask what was wrong the second she noticed Bassie’s state… and you had a sicker feeling that it would make things so much worse.

Bassie’s hands balled at her sides.

…and she didn’t verbally answer as another wave of emotion rolled over her. Just another crack in whatever dam she had built up inside her- you didn’t make too much of a fuss over the tears pin pricking her eyes.
“Come on,”

And… at least as best as you could, you tried to sneak Bassie to one of the large elevators in the main lobby to bring her to your room… you could only hope that no one noticed you- as their backs turned to the two of you, focused on the current game.

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Something cylindrical- the sides silky. Your fingers slide across whatever it was in ease, before settling themselves between the flared ends of the item. It was… small- though with the size of your toon-hand it demanded your entire grip. The material… actually felt really nice on your fingers, and a small part of you was almost disappointed that you’d have to return the item to its owner… who it was… though…
You pull the item out of the sack- revealing it to be a spool with red ribbon, the ends split in black and white. It took less than a second to put the pieces together- your eyes snapping up to the twin masks. Razzle’s eyes darted from the spool to his brother, a barely contained grin of excitement tugging at the corner of his mouth. Dazzle on the other hand lowered his head and mumbled something only the comedy mask could hear- the arm on his side pressing deep into his torso as the white hand raised.

“That’d be ours!” Razzle called out in his typical cheery tone as he stepped forward. You briefly took note that the scarf they kept wrapped around them was… larger, thicker than it normally was. It was pretty chilly, you’d have to admit. A hint of envy passed over you, maybe you should have bundled up for the party… not that the air was unbearable, but-

“Right! Off to the gift shop you two… er… three!” Dandy’s voice caught your attention as you slipped the spool into Razzle’s hand.
“Thaaaank you!” Razzle tucked the spool somewhere into… well apparently they had pockets somewhere, who would have guessed.
“...thanks…” Dazzle mumbled under his breath as his hand remained pressed close against his side- his fingers finding themselves wrapping themselves around the hem of their clothing.
You could easily see Razzle participating in a game like this… but Dazzle… didn’t at all seem like the kind of toon to enjoy something like this. Whether Razzle had made an executive decision or convinced his brother to go along with it- okay, well. No, you knew Razzle well enough to know he wouldn’t force his twin to do something he really truly sincerely didn’t want to do. He tried to help push his brother to be more out there but he’d never force him into something that’d put the topic of consent into question.

“Well… I guess that’s our cue to leave?” You muttered under your breath towards them as you shuffled closer. Intentional usage of cue or not, Razzle chuckled.
“Cue! I get it,”
“Yeah… cue-”
You decided to play along with it to not risk things getting weird before you even make your way to the gift shop. The short walk down the hall was light, with mostly Razzle carrying the talk.

“After you,”
“....Here…”
Dazzle finally peeled his arm away from himself and helped keep the door of the storage room open… not that it needed to be held open, it seemed heavy. No amount of draft could reasonably blow it shut, but perhaps it was a feeling of obligation to be polite.
You mumble a soft thank you as you slipped by their side and settled yourself in the cool storage room. Squinting your eyes did little to grant you sight as the door shut- everything blurred together as you blindly felt around. Eventually as your sight readjusted to the darkness you found a decent enough corner to lean again- if you were lucky you wouldn’t be left caked in dust when you pushed yourself off of the wall to leave.
Maybe…
One of them would hopefully be kind enough to let you know if the attempt failed.

Your palms pat against the cold wall for a few seconds as you made soft popping noises with your mouth.
Of course, the main “goal” of the game- even if unofficial- hung in your mind. You would have let it pass had this been any other toon, but the curiosity of how this would play out with the pair of twins forced it to linger.
What if only one was actually interested? Would the other have to remain there quietly pretending the game wasn’t happening? It sounded… awkward, and a little weird. You don’t think you’d be able to handle sharing a body with someone else- sibling or not.
Honestly it made you respect the pair a little more, it probably wasn’t easy living together in the same body… you don’t recall ever seeing them butt heads for long.

“Are you listening?”
“...I don’t think they are…”
You snap yourself back to the moment and stare at them. They made themselves comfortable at your side- Razzle’s half closer to you… though still a respectful distance apart. Almost endearingly they had copied your tucked away stance.
You blink a few times before finally clearing your throat. “S-sorry, I was just thinking…” You mumbled quietly.
“Oh?” Razzle tilted his head slightly- Dazzle only occasionally glanced at you before fixing his gaze back onto the trails marked through the caked up layer of dust on the wooden floor. “About what?”
He didn’t sound all that upset that you were stuck in your head a second ago.

Would it be weird to ask them if they ever fought? And whose idea it was to participate in the game? You chew the inside of your cheek as the seconds ticked by, both patiently waiting for your answer. As excitable and avoidant they were, they didn’t mind waiting for someone to speak. Dazzle’s hand found itself silently fiddling with one of the ends of their… scarf? You think it counted as one.

“Do… and you don’t have to answer this since I’m sure you get it all the time- but… do you two ever argue? I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of you really have a major disagreement-” You spit out quickly.
The two both stared at you for a few seconds- before Razzle snickered softly. Dazzle only continued to stare at you quietly… his… expression was hard to read… but there seemed to be a flicker of amusement somewhere in his eyes even if he otherwise didn’t show that he found the question funny.
You shrink back awkwardly and in an instant Dazzle tried to perform damage control.

“He’s not laughing at you… It’s just…” He trailed off.
He sounded shyer than usual.
“Gigi asked us the same thing earlier, actually!” Razzle finished between his calming giggles.
Oh.
“We actually do hear that a lot-”
“At least once a day from the visitors,” Dazzle spoke up again. If it weren’t for the awkward stammered apologies for cutting the other off you would have thought they intentionally worked to finish each other's thoughts out loud.

You could only think to give them a soft hum in response… your eyes darted between the twins- the question of who had initially wanted to join in on the game still hung in your mind. Naturally Razzle had to be the one to have brought up the idea of joining first, right?

“I never took both of you for being the type to like games like this- I mean I know… it doesn’t go down the same path every time- but- and no offense Dazzle- but it doesn’t seem like your cup of tea,” Your eyes settled themselves on the tragedy mask. He seemed to wilt- and you felt awful for calling him out like that- but overall seemed to understand.
“It was Razzle’s idea,”
“I figured it would be nice to do a round or two if Dazzle was game- and he was!-” He lightly clacked the side of his mask against Dazzle’s… almost like how someone would playfully nudge someone to cheer them up- nowhere near hard enough to risk cracking whatever material made their heads, but enough to make the noise cut through the air.
“We figured the worst case scenario we’d just chat for a few minutes with someone, and the best case scenario we got…”
He trailed off and looked silently to Dazzle. You fought the urge to make a face at the sudden silence in the room, and the look so much more than a simple glance.
“...best case scenario..” Dazzle decided to take charge as his brother’s eyes flicked between him and you. “..we’d get someone special to us,”

And that was that.

“Ah..”
You sink deeper into the corner behind you- your arms folding over each other subconsciously. What were the odds you picked the corner closest to the room’s vent? The air blew directly onto you and intensified the chill wrapping itself over you. For a second time you silently envied the twins’ scarf. They were sleeveless anyway, they’re probably not as warm as you thought they were.
“...did you have anyone special in mind?”

Razzle perked up- but before he even dared to answer your question he glanced back to his brother.
“Just a moment-”
They shuffled away from you a few steps and huddled. Weird. You’ve never seen them do that before- they were hardly ever the type to whisper to one another; right to the point of Razzle cupping his hand over his mouth as he muttered to Dazzle. Not so subtly both of their eyes flicked to you before going back to each other. The entire thing only lasted for a few seconds but it was so comically bizarre that you almost wanted to laugh.

“Sorry, that’s confidential information, Dazzle’s not ready to put his brave face on,” Razzle teased softly as he returned to his original spot right next to you. Dazzle’s mouth scrunched slightly but he didn’t make a comment on the lighthearted jab. The sink of faint disappointment still wilted the humored grin on your face but you weren’t one to push when one of them already looked like he was thinking about everything that’s being said- hard-
“...it's the setting…” Dazzle mumbled.
“Setting?” You cocked your head to the side and instantly forgot about being rejected their secrets.
“You’ve got a point, dusty dark closet that smells like stale cinnamon is hardly someplace where I wanna lay down my heart for someone,” Razzle. “I’d rather do it on stage, you know?”
Dazzle made a soft groaning sound. It was like they had forgotten you were right there. “...Why make a display of it?”

“I think it’s sweet,” You butted in. Both of their faces snapped towards you, their eyes widened. They definitely briefly forgot that you were right next to them. Razzle’s eyes glittered, even without any proper light in the room.
“You think so?”
You nod softly. “I mean… I don’t think it’s a terrible idea? Especially if you think whoever… you’d do it for… would be into it- I personally wouldn’t be too upset about it, I think,”
A shrug from you, and a nod from them- varying in intensities.
“Well I might just have to interrogate you for some ideas, then! You seem like you know what you’re talking about,” His grin widened and Dazzle’s head lowered in embarrassment.
“Do we really have to…?”
“Awww come on, I’m sure you can whip up a good script-”

All of you jumped when someone came knocking on the door- time was up already and it was spent idly chatting. Neither of the twins looked all that upset about it- in fact there was a new bounce in their step as they pushed themselves off of the wall and paced to the door… before stopping. Dazzle’s head swiveled around to stare at you.
He was harder to read compared to his brother… but even through the miserable look plastered on his mask- which at this point you think was just how his features were made… like a depressed version of a resting bitch face- he looked… more hopeful, looking forward to something. Even after the obvious dread of going on stage for… someone.
“Are you coming?”
His voice was a lot softer than Razzle’s.

“Yeah- yeah-” You pushed yourself out of the corner and dusted yourself off as best as you could. You were right in assuming they would let you know if you missed a spot… but you didn’t expect them to help clean you off where you couldn’t reach.

Opening the door itself was uneventful; Dandy had obviously grown impatient- in fact he looked like he was just about ready to open the door himself to make the three of you get a move on.
“About time, you know we’ve only got so much time tonight!” He lightly scolded, but other than that he seemed to be in decent spirits. “Come on! Everyone else is waiting!” The flower tossed a hand over his shoulder to encourage you and the twins to follow him. No one put up a fight as you trailed behind Gardenview’s mascot.
As you walked down the hall Razzle’s fingers lightly tapped against the back of your hand to get your attention. He tapped again to get you to look at him.
“We don’t have to do it tonight obviously, we’re sure you want to party,”
“Razzle wants to mingle too,” Dazzle added. Razzle playfully rolled his eyes but he didn’t deny his brother’s claim.
“But do you want to come to our room some time? Give us some feedback for that script?”

You weren’t sure. Were you qualified for something like that? You weren’t exactly a critic…

You couldn’t find yourself able to say no to either of them- Dazzle glancing at you was enough to seal it.

Professional critic or not, it didn’t seem to matter to them that you probably wouldn’t know what made a good show… they seemed more pleased at the idea of having you alone again soon…

Chapter Text

You push your hand in deeper… and all eyes are on you…

Your fingers wrap around something, and you pull out…

…It was kind of sticky. Tacky more like. You weren’t sure where to pinpoint the material, and with Cocoa’s paw on your shoulder you felt awkward just standing there- even worse with everyone staring at you, waiting for your next move. Your fingers find a somewhat decent hold on the item and tug it out of the basket… It was a brown bag, three piped meringue peaks on top. A means to hold something inside of something that is also meant to hold something… a bag in a basket. It was almost funny in a weird way you couldn’t explain.
“Oh!”
Your eyes snapped to Cocoa as her paw shifted around on your shoulder… even with the knowledge that she didn’t melt easily you wondered if her chocolate would leave a smudge on your shirt. Body heat and all.
“That’s mine,” She shifted her fingers around your shoulder before looking at you with her big black eyes. “We really don’t have to play if you’re not feeling up to it,”
Your eyes darted between her paw and her face. The prospect of being stuck in a room with Cocoa… didn’t sound all that bad, actually.
Your mouth suddenly felt dry as the seconds ticked by at a snail’s pace.

“It’s only seven minutes, I think I can keep myself from collapsing for seven minutes,” You joked lightly. Cocoa didn’t seem to appreciate it all that much but she didn’t make an outward fuss in front of everyone else… a partial sense of gratefulness ticked somewhere inside you at that.
“And you both ought to get a move on if you want it to stay seven minutes, no point in standing around!” Dandy lightly chidded. You couldn’t help but get the sense that he came off as… threatened. For what reason you didn’t bother to give much thought, instead you focused on putting one foot in front of the other as you and the chocolate rabbit made your way down the hall. The burning of everyone’s eyes heated you to your core as you slinked away further and further… maybe it was a good thing you weren’t made of…
Was Cocoa real chocolate? It’d seem rather… inconvenient… odd… unsanitary? If she were. Not that she was made for eating… actually.

“You had bite marks on you the other day,” You mumbled out loud as you flicked a glance to Cocoa’s upper arm. Smooth and markless now.
Her smile pulled slightly as she let out an awkward wince. “Yeeeaaaah… Yatta… got a little too eager… I don’t think she was trying to see if she could eat me, but,”
“She can be a biter,” You finished her thought. Cocoa nodded softly with a hum. “She can be a bit much, but she’s nice enough I think- I’ve got to put some time aside to hang out with her,”
You step into the gift shop; only briefly noting the Easter decor strewn across the shop. Plushies, flowers, fake grass. It crinkled grossly under your feet- no doubt the humidity from the outside… and whatever was spilled by a visitor… made the faux greenery stick to the bottoms of your feet. The faint sticky sound made your throat clench in discomfort.

“She was showing me some of her acrobatic tricks- I don’t know how she does it, I can’t quite get the hang of it,” Cocoa’s voice laid itself over the tug and pull of the floor below. The storage room door wasn’t too far away, and soon enough the two of you were tucked away within it’s darkness.

The air was stale and thick. It was like stepping into an oven- okay… nowhere near as warm but it was uncomfortable..
At least the walls still maintained some coolness, to which Cocoa eagerly took without complaint as she pressed her back against it- right next to you. The smell of chocolate cut through the stench of dust and old unworn shirts. Your nose relaxed just slightly.

“It's not too stuffy in here for you, is it?” Cocoa was the first to break the silence- you couldn’t bring yourself to think of anything to say as Yatta’s curiosity seemingly infected you too. If she smelled like chocolate, did she taste like it too?
The meat of your cheek finds itself grinded between your teeth as you processed her question. The collar of your shirt was already sticking itself uncomfortably against your skin. You nearly preferred the floor of the gift shop. Did the vents in the storage closet even work? It had too… the dust was drifting about. Poor circulation, maybe.
“Sunflower,” Cocoa’s voice pried you out of your thoughts.

An awkward stream of words clunkily fell out of your mouth before your teeth found their footing against the syllables.
“Oh- unhm- yeah- yeah yeah- wait…” You reel yourself back in and take a slightly stinging breath through your nose. The back of your throat itched now, and you took your anger out mentally on Dandy for picking the storage room of all places to hold the game. The muscles in your throat flexed uncomfortably, tightening themselves around your attempt to come off as unbothered with the current setting. “I mean- no, it’s not too stuffy… what? It’s already been about a minute? What’s six more?” You offered a faint laugh but Cocoa did not at all seem put at ease by it.
“If you’re nervous the other toons will think less of you for backing down, I can take the blame,” She frowned. “I don’t want you to feel forced into this,”
“I knew what I was getting into Cocoa-” You cut her off firmly before your face softened. The tone was sharper than you had intended and you were paid by Cocoa wilting slightly away from you.

…Maybe… it was a little too stuffy for you.

Cocoa’s paw found itself to her ear and stroked it- the whole motion seemed subconscious. Her eyes fixed themselves on the floor for a few more seconds before fixing back on your face. A layer of sweat already settled across your skin, only allowing a means for the particles in the air to settle and bind to your skin until you were allowed to leave. Once more, you mentally spited Dandy for his choice in game location. There had to be somewhere better to host the rounds.
“Well, if you want to back out just let me know, okay?” Her voice was softer- and you felt even worse for your soft snap.
The urge to frown is bitten back as you pull your face forward to stare at the double metal doors behind you. A passing thought that they were cooler.
“It’s not too stuffy in here for you, right?”
Your mouth felt drier. The smell of the air paled in comparison to the taste of it. It felt like biting into a dry cookie that didn’t have the dry ingredients properly mixed in- like a mouthful of slightly toasted flour… the taste itself almost felt musty. Unwashed fabric that sat for who knows how long weighed down on your tongue. You had a feeling the main culprit was the abundant collection of Shelly shirts and plushies stacked high in one of the far away corners. The once beige faces now caked in gray. You couldn’t even see the eyes anymore. The Bassie plushies were in a similar state, although nowhere near as neglected.

“I know you don’t melt easy, but…” You trail off. “I can’t help but worry about seeing you get all goopy and gross- and with all the dust- I bet it’d be a nightmare to try to get it all out,”
Cocoa seemed to lighten up. “Oh, I’ll be fine! It’s gonna take a lot more to make me go soft!” Her paws left her ear- the large curls of sweetness thumped lightly against the wall.
“I’d… actually really hate to get dust all over me, if I started melting..” She mumbled under her breath. Her paws didn’t remain free for that long- they quickly found themselves to the creamy ring of fluff around her neck. Vanilla wafted itself lazily over towards you at the fur’s disturbance.

“And here I was, thinking I could wipe some of your chocolate off and steal a taste,” You teased. In an instant Cocoa’s fingers froze in her cream. Her brow knitted together as she stared hard at her feet.
“You- you know, because-” You mimic wiping away something at your cheek and putting the tip to your mouth. “Unless you’d rather I forgo my hands,” You added quickly under your breath. The hope that she didn’t catch the words was crushed as her massive ears twitched in your direction.

You wanted to shrink into the floor- if you were being completely honest you had zero idea what came over you. You did like Cocoa, you knew that for a fact… but in any other situation you don’t think you would have ever said something like this so boldly. Perhaps it was the air depriving your brain of much needed oxygen- clouded with sour smelling fabric- or maybe it was the implications of the current game that gave you a sudden rush of bravery.
Or rather stupidity.

There was no need in asking Cocoa if your approach made her uncomfortable. The rabbit’s gaze remained fixed away from you as her hands found themselves back to her massive ears. The only thing that you could have even attempted to take as something positive was the fact she didn’t move away from you. More than likely the wall she leaned against had warmed itself up. You wish you had bothered to check if the room had a light switch. Removing yourself now to look felt weird and wrong… but maybe it was better that you couldn’t see around you all that well.

“I know you don’t mean anything by it,” She started, before backtracking. “Nothing bad I mean- I know you’re just…”
Cocoa, for all of her willingness to get her words out and lend an ear to others to work through things… was struggling to come up with something to say to help you out. At least she was trying to kill the tension, even if she was only making it worse.
Your insides felt like cold rubbery hoses. Writhing somewhere under your skin as steeled yourself just to play it cool on the outside.

Why did you open your mouth?

“I just… it feels rushed, I do-” She cut herself off and tried again. Her paws rung around her ears. The temperature of the room was starting to get to her as her chocolate softened. Her paws went slick as they tried to catch a hold. What little light was able to shine in through the crack under the door caught on her slick body- cascaded in soft browns.

“I just don’t think it’s the right time- I… know the point of the game is to, you know,” She trailed off quietly.
And then it hit.

She had put her trinket into the basket not knowing what was going to be done with it. Dandy hadn’t told the toons what the purpose was- and while she could have backed out…
The odds of her not rejecting you there in front of everyone to save you from the embarrassment of being shot down in the eyes of a crowd weren’t zero.

The curling coils of your insides tighten before you suck in a deep breath to relax.

“We don’t have to wait out the rest of the game, if you don’t want to,” You repeat her offer back to her. Cocoa’s fiddling ceased after a second.
“..What?”
The Easter toon finally brought her face back to yours- the curve of her jaw looked off. You don’t think you’ve ever seen Cocoa so conflicted and nervous… was the melting part of that?

“We can bow out if you want, I can take the fall for it,”
Her frown deepened. “You don’t…”
Cocoa trailed off.
As corny as it sounded you wanted to tell her you wanted to be the one helping her for once.
Instead you chose to remain silent to save yourself from even more embarrassment. “My throat feels like it's on fire anyway,”
The rabbit's face scrunched- you swear you saw her nose twitch against the air. “I’m not mad at you,”

Her words stunned you for a second.
You had a feeling she was uncomfortable, but angry?
“I know you aren’t,” You played it cool with a shrug as you peeled yourself off of the wall.
“We can talk about this more when the party’s over? I’d hate to ruin your night with all this serious talk,” She piped back up as traces of her usual self bubbled back up. It sounded slightly wet as she followed your motions and peeled herself off of the wall. You bite your cheek at the noise.

You only nod in quiet agreement as you step to the door. Just as you had entered, you were the first to move through it.

And as much as the teasing remarks of your perceived rejection- well… it was a rejection- you did your best to shift it all onto you as Cocoa stood nearby trying to reshape herself before she rehardened.

“I just… it feels rushed, I do-”
Cocoa’s words still hung heavy in the back of your mind.

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Whatever it was, it felt rough and cold on your fingers. Like it a chunk of concrete- rough and stony. It definitely had some weight to it as you tried to wrap your hand around its girth… some awkward blind shifting and you finally found a decent hold. You could hear whatever it was scrape against everyone else’s belongings as you dragged it as carefully as you could to the opening- you bite back a slight cringe… even as you tried your best to minimize any damage you had a feeling some of the more delicate trinkets were at least a little scratched.

It was stone. Concrete? It was a brick, that’s what it was. Someone had put a brick in the sack and you had no idea who would do that. For a passing second you looked to Looey- perhaps he was branching out of his jokes in favor of pranks. The balloon toon’s brow scrunched together with a squeak the second your gazes locked onto one another. He shook his head as silently as he could against his latex. Next you looked to Dandy who genuinely looked just as lost and confused as you.
“I ain’t too sure who’s that is Dewdrop-” Dandy started before a loud and harsh scoff (which quickly turned into a shout) cut his sentence off right there.
“I HATE THIS GAME ALREADY!” Shrimpo’s voice nearly growled between his sharp teeth as he basically shook in his spot from his seething. His fists were curled tightly in on themselves, as they usually were as he eyed the brick in your hand with an intense stare.
You… actually weren’t expecting the crustacean to put something into the sack but… now that you thought about it he always had a tendency to do anything to find something to complain about. Or do nothing at all. Complaining and hating were the two things he always did and quite frankly you didn’t feel too keen about being stuck in a room for him for a round. Part of you wanted to reject him right there on the spot… but that felt… cruel- when every other toon’s eyes were bouncing between you and him.
You don’t think he would have given you the same mercy.

You almost wished he would have stormed out of the party right there just so you didn’t have to nurse the inevitable headache that would come from him.
Alas, Dandy had to do one of the things Shrimpo hated the most: a suggestion.

“You know Shrimpo, you don’t have to play- You can sit out this round if you don’t want-”
And just like that the flower had sealed your fate. It didn’t matter that he gave you an apologetic look as Shrimpo’s face curled into an ugly snarl. The blushing marks on his cheeks melded into the redness spreading over the rest of his face.
“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” The angry toon snapped back. Even from here you could hear his molars clacking together. The noise made you cringe inwardly… one had to wonder if he ever cracked his teeth under the tightness he forced his jaws through.

You nearly shrunk under Shrimpo’s gaze as his hot black eyes landed right on you… if looks could kill you were sure you’d already be six feet under. Clamminess claimed your palms as he suddenly stomped forward and snatched the brick out of your sweaty hand.
“Erm… right! Right, okay! Well… in any case, you both have seven minutes,” Dandy cleared his throat. The flower gave you another apologetic look as you shuffled quietly a few feet behind Shrimpo as he stormed down the hallway to the Christmas gift shop. He was so slow you could feel the muscles in your thigh burn and tense as you forced yourself to remain slower- just so you didn’t catch his attention again, to avoid being at the receiving end of his rage.

Seriously, what was his problem? Why was he made like this…?
That was mean, and as much as you were dreading this you felt bad for the thought. It’s not like he was designed to be like this- at least you don’t think he was… were… toons predetermined before they were created? Were you destined to be like this by someone else- was it by design that you were currently walking down the hall with a pit in your stomach as your eyes absentmindedly trained themselves on the flexing tail on the back of his head?
You shake yourself back to the moment. You can be existential later when you were out of an enclosed space with a fishy smelling crustacean.

Shrimpo didn’t even bother holding the door open for you as he marched into the storage room- the pit in your stomach deepened as you followed after him. The moment the door closed you wished you at least tried to convince him to stay in the gift shop area.
The staleness of the air only seemed to make the briny fish smell clinging onto him worse. He smelled raw. Why did he smell like that-

The amount of self control you needed to exercise to keep a neutral composure on the outside was immense.

You planted yourself against the wall and tried to stare straight ahead as Shrimpo paced around impatiently around the room. His feet left obvious footprints in the thick layer of dust under him. Some stings of it where it had clumped to someone’s shed hair clung to the soles of his feet. You hated it but you chose not to say anything. Even if you wanted to start a conversation you were sure Shrimpo would just get pissy or shut it down in an instant.
Seriously, what was the point of participating in something if you were going to be so blatantly upset about the entire ordeal? It made no sense- what was the point of doing it if you weren’t having fun? You press your shoulder blades deeper into the wall. He hadn’t even done much to acknowledge you but his mere existence made you angry. His attitude made you angry. The way his face scrunched made you angry.
Maybe anger was an overstatement, but it was definitely at least some level of annoyance. He hadn’t even said anything directly to you and you were already so over this.

Would you be blamed for ending the round early? A minute hadn’t even passed.

Thump thump thump.

His feet continued to slam against the old wooden floor under him. It wasn’t even a consistent rhythm or volume- and as tired of you were of the word already it tacked on another level to your irritation.

ThumP thuMp ThUmp

You tried to focus on the floor in front of you instead of the noise. Repetition never sat well with you, even worse when it was imperfect repetition. Misophonia or perhaps something else you weren’t sure; but you didn’t feel all that interested in trying to pick apart that aspect of you at the moment.

“THE FACE YOU’RE MAKING LOOKS STUPID.” Shrimpo’s voice suddenly broke through the not silence. You didn’t even realize you were making a face but once he brought it up you could feel the soreness already making itself home in your jaw. A knot of pain started to form itself in the middle of your creased forehead- every attempt to try to smooth over your brow failed as it knitted itself back into the bunched position it now felt natural… you never liked how it felt like someone was hovering their fingers above the skin of your forehead when you focused too hard on forcing your face to fall flat.
You weren’t the only tense toon in the room. His voice was far too loud. It bounced against the dirty cold walls and that seemed to be enough to push you over the edge.

You swear you weren’t this quick to upset. You promise, to no one at all, that you never lost your temper like this. You preemptively felt stupid for dignifying the toon literally made to be a bully and a hater with a response. The words spilled out of your mouth- as sharp as his voice was booming. The tone felt foreign on your tongue despite the way the words rolled right out.

“Do you ever actually have some real input or do you just talk to hear your own voice?” You snapped back- and you kept going as you tensed up against the cold wall. Your stance remained otherwise the same, save for the rigidness settling in your bones and muscles.
“You sure talk real loud for someone with nothing valuable to say.”

The shrimp actually looked flabbergasted by your words- or maybe by your sudden lash out. Most people just moved on from what he said or simply walked away.
But you were stuck in here and the rush of pride to stay right where you would kept you rooted to the spot. Whatever that said about you as a person you didn’t care, your ego couldn’t take the idea of him thinking he won this. Perhaps not the most healthy thing, but to hell with maturity and being the bigger person.

Shrimpo’s eyes fixed themselves hard on you before they drifted down to his feet. For once in his rage filled life the fire in him seemed shaken. Why didn’t you feel more proud of that? Was your intention not to get him to back down and go quiet?
You didn’t apologize and you didn’t feel like you had to.
Maybe that was a bad thing but the stinging of the dust in your eyes just kept you on edge enough to keep from working through the knot of thoughts suddenly bouncing around in your head.

Why would he partake in something he clearly hated so much?

Why would you participate in something that was making your insides feel like hot oil?

For pride?

You glanced at Shrimpo out of the corner of your eye as he remained in his stunned stance. No pity passed through you in the moment. Only about two or three minutes have passed and things were already getting tense.
If toons were designed to act a certain way they certainly did a good job at making Shrimpo as unbearable as possible. Nasty attitude, short temper, and he always had something nasty to say to someone with no regard to how it would make them feel. Toon and visitor. It didn’t matter to him… and for someone who was so open to slinging it out he couldn’t seem to take it when it was tossed right back in his face.
Sure, your words were harder and far more specific than his general blanket statements but could you be blamed?

Excuses.

Maybe not sympathy and hardly pity but you came back down just enough to hiss through your teeth to release some tension.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have gone off like that,”
The back of your tongue curled awkwardly in your mouth as you dragged the words out- only half sincere. If it wasn’t going to be you, someone else was going to say it eventually. Right or not it was going to happen.

The crustaceans mouth morphed from his usual scowl to a pulled thin line.

And for the first time since you met the wretched toon you actually heard his voice take on a softer edge. Still a tense growl but no longer a shout.
“I don’t like how you make me feel.”

He didn’t use the word hate. He didn’t curse at you- though… now that you thought about it you don’t think you’ve ever heard him drop a swear word oddly enough- he didn’t look angry. Not even embarrassed. Sheepish maybe, but there was clear conflict riddled in the crease between his brows.
It sounded more than a simple “I didn’t like how you made me feel just now” statement.

“It feels weird.”

You look away from him. It wasn’t worth risking going off on him again. You were starting to feel weird. Rapidly the rage burning inside you melted away into something lukewarm and slimy. Guilt, awkwardness, shame- you felt weird, too.

You didn’t bother with responding to him either. There was little trust in your vocal cords to make the words sound calm and normal again.

The final four minutes of the game felt almost agonizing, but you were grateful when Dandy came around to let you both know time was up.
Absolutely no time was wasted as you pushed yourself off of the wall and towards the door. A half glance was spared to check if Shrimpo was following you- who had looked as deep in thought as he could be-
Dandy at least tried to get his attention as you slinked your way out of the storage room and back to the party- though the desire to mingle and play games with everyone else was tarnished. Made worse when several toons glanced over at you. The feel of your face still felt wrong and stiff. They had to have noticed.
The muttered whispers only stuck the knife in deeper- had they heard the two of you? They must have heard Shrimpo… but were you louder than you thought you were?

You don’t notice Shrimpo rejoining the party- or his lack of reappearance. At the moment you simply wanted to stew and recuperate by yourself over a glass of whatever concoction was mixed in the punch bowl.

The entire interaction was…

Weird.

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Something long and thin- not at all made of wood but rather plastic. It nearly caught on the other items in the sack as you tried to pull it out… the shape awkward against all the clutter as a faint and muffled pulling sound managed to slip out through the mess and fabric.
It got stuck.
You shift your hands around the orange rubber grip that finally peeked through the sack’s opening.
“Looks like you caught something,” Dandy snickered under his breath as he tugged the sack back towards him- your attempts to pry whatever the item was nearly ripping it from his hold… you were almost tempted to backtrack and just pick something else… but you felt that might have been humiliating to whoever the trinket belonged to.
You were in too deep now anyway.

Another tug and the thing finally freed itself- some of the other trinkets coming out along with it. A toy fishing rod, perfect for a toon sized body. A blue bandana caught on its not very sharp hook- your eye darted to Boxten… no wonder he looked off when you had glanced at him a moment ago. He wasn’t wearing his bandana.
The fabric falls from the hook and you awkwardly pass it back to Dandy to shove back into the bag… you nearly felt bad.. Choosing to avoid making eye contact with the music box.
The fishing rod is shifted around in your hands… you didn’t need to ask around to know who it belonged to- and you could already hear the sea of jokes you were going to be tormented with for the next seven minutes… you weren’t sure you were emotionally ready to bear it, even if you overall enjoyed the owner. Something about being in a dark confined room for nearly ten minutes being treated to a personal comedy act felt almost torturous- perhaps you were already worked up from your brief struggle of trying to free the rod… and the stares.

Something in your jaw tightened as Finn’s clinking steps quickly approached- you didn’t even realize Dandy had made a fish related joke when you were fighting for your life with the trinket.
“Nice one!” Finn snickered as he beamed at the flower. All things considered Finn was careful and fleeting as he took the rod away from you- handling it as if it were some sacred relic that could stuff any storm despite being made of mere plastic. Something you would find in a gift shop somewhere.
“I’ll have to think of something reel quick before you can fish it,”
He laughed at his own jokes- and you were trying to debate if there was really only one pun in the sentence. Your tongue tensed and shifted in the back of your throat as you held it- Glisten’s stifled groan from somewhere in the crowd wasn’t at all lost on you.

Barely a minute passed between standing there in front of everyone and making your way to the dark storage closet connecting the main gift shop to the Christmas one- but you could already feel a headache brewing in your temples from the sheer amount of jokes he packed into the one sided conversation you were barely keeping up with. It’s like he needed it to breath.

For as oblivious as he could be when he was being mildly annoying, he at least noticed your silence.
“What’s wrong? Catfish got your tongue?” He chuckled again at his own joke- hardly did he ever manage to deliver a line with a straight face. The tired sigh slipping through your teeth sounded almost muted against the constant glass clink of his body against itself- each step was never silent and it was a wonder he’d manage to worm himself into things without getting noticed in an instant.

It took everything to make your voice come out softer- you weren’t… angry with him but irritation could be an ugly beast.

“Could you… tone it down on the jokes, at least while we’re doing the game..?”
His smile faltered for a moment and you felt awful about it.
“I’m just not in the mood to hear it all back to back today- headache- it’s not.. You-”
He quickly lifted his hands and tried to wave you into silence. It worked, you were already trailing off and trying to lessen the impact too late.
“It’s alright! I get it- I guess I can get a bit carried away with it, huh?” Finn let his hands fall as you both stepped into the dark storage closet… stuffy- already an uncomfortable clamminess settled over your skin. Maybe… it was a good thing you went ahead and voiced your concerns about the fishbowl’s humor before the thick and wet air pushed you over the edge.

A small pile of dust formed as you dragged your feet across the wooden floor- leaving a track in the mess. Did the staff just… not clean up in here? Away from the eyes of Gardenview’s countless visitors or not it was… gross… and you silently ached for Tisha when it was her turn to get into the closet. You mourned for whoever she would get stuck inside with… doubtful that either of them could have much fun during their round…
The idea of whether or not the others would have fun was pushed to the back of your mind as you tried to make yourself comfortable against the wall. Finn quickly followed suit, settling himself to your left with a sharp clink of his glass- the motion sending some of the water splashing over his rim and to the dust.. Mixing in and making a gross slush. You could argue it made it worse- but you didn’t make a comment on it in the face of his obliviousness, no doubt having long grown used to his habit to spill over on the floor.

As the silence settled around you- save for the muffled sound of the Christmas music of the lobby outside creeping in- it grew… mildly uncomfortable.
Finn’s hands flexed and shifted at his sides and drummed against the wall- the tips of his fingers hooking against loose pieces of wallpaper and mindlessly tugging at them to expose the material underneath. Stone, you had to guess with the coldness that pushed itself into your spine.

“You put your entire rod in the bag…?” You finally broke the silence.
It was… rather funny… looking back on it- the trinket was definitely unconventional given the scenario, and maybe… you could learn to laugh back at the memory of having to fight it out of the sack.
“Didn’t have like… a toy fish- you know,” You pointed to your head and Finn gasped.
“Well… I’d never use Barnaby! Why… I’m almost offended you’re even bringing up the idea!”
It was over dramatic, and the shift away from your position sent even more water splashing out onto the floor- but to be honest… it added to the humor as the grin broke across his glass face.
Neither of you could hold back the quiet string of giggles- and it was only made worse as Finn snorted on his own breath.

“Well don’t you have another fish toy? I know you do- I’ve seen Gigi leaving your room with a bunch of them-”
His giggles faltered for a moment.
“She didn’t…
“She did!”

He leaned his head back in partial annoyance… overplayed, and an even louder splash of water.
Was it tap water? Bottled? You don’t think you’ve ever seen his head empty now that you took a moment to think about it.

“So like… do you need to keep water in your head…? What happens if it goes empty?”
Finn paused. He looked down at the soaked floorboards below and offered a soft “oh…”
Swiping his foot over the puddle did nothing to move it- only forcing it to mix with the blanket of dust before. The toon’s mouth tugged in a tight line against the faint squelch.
“Nothing bad happens- it just feels weird… looks weird too, I mean have you ever seen an empty fishbowl?”
His bowl looked about half full now- the turning of his head at least wasn’t enough to make the water fling over the edge of his head.

He did have a point. What was the purpose of a waterless fishbowl, even if there was no marine life inside?

“...fair point…” You mumbled before shifting around.

“You don’t think Boxten got too offended that I put his bandana back into the bag?”
Finn pursed his lips- or at least tried.
You never actually noticed that his face was flat on his face. Even when he furrowed his brow in thought his glass remained in place.
“I don’t think so- he doesn’t strike me as the type to take things like that too hard… though… I wouldn't mind him being in here- you think he has sea shanties in his head?”

You exhaled through your nose.

…

Did toons have noses? How did you do that- did you even actually-

“I guess you’re right… but still, I kind of feel bad about it now-”
You shifted against the wall.

The silence settled back between the two of you- Finn didn’t offer any additional response to your worries. Maybe he just didn’t know what to say to make you feel better about the indirect rejection. It’s not like you… meant to be cruel. Would having three toons at once be allowed?

“I’m… actually glad it's just us two in here actually-” Finn suddenly confessed. You shoot him a look from the corner of your eye- no particular emotion… but whatever it looked like to Finn sent him into a quick splutter to try to explain.
“Not that I don’t like him of course, Boxten’s nice and all but-”

Finn trailed off.
“I like you- I think you’re a reel catch, and-” His eyes squinted against the grin stretched across his face. You didn’t call him out for the pun, instead choosing to at least hear him out.
“I really like you-”

His glass knuckles clinked against each other as he shifted his vest around- shuffling the puffy collar of it up against the lower curves of his bowl.
“I know… I agreed to not using puns but I can’t help it- I think you’re the only fish in the sea for me,”
His grin quirked up lopsided.

And for a brief confession, it felt like he was being true.
If you were being honest you expect Finn to drag things out- not that you wanted him to… but more so because he seemed like the type to keep things going even after the other person had given him his answer.
Like beating a dead seahorse.

But his smile was contagious, even the dull throb in the side of your head could be ignored long enough to give him a curl of your lips.
His palms clacked together.
“So I was sinking- how about you and I…” He trailed off.
“You’re pushing it,” You teased.

You shuffled closer to Finn.
And he stayed put.
Even with inches between the two of both of you, you could feel the surface of his bowl beginning to warm against your cheek.
“Had a reeling I was,” He tugged at the bottom of his vest- that did nothing to pull the collar from his head… he only sunk his head into himself sheepishly as he grinned to himself like an idiot.

“Why don’t we get some lunch tomorrow and talk more about this? How… does one sound? I don’t think Gardenview’s opening tomorrow since it’s.. No… wait.. I think it’s still open tomorrow.. Christmas Eve…” You mumbled under your breath.
“We can do the day after,”

A lunch date on Christms.
Why not? It’d be one of the few times the place would be closed- it’d give you both the time to really talk about things without needing to entertain visitors. It was probably the best you could do for a while- waiting for Easter Sunday didn’t sound all that appealing.

You nod.
Barely a motion but it seemed to send Finn straight to cloud nine.
Nothing else was given the chance to break through the air before Dandy’s knock on the other side of the door filled the air.
Almost instantly Finn pushed himself off of the wall with enough force to send a splatter of water to the wall where he just stood- before he staggered to the door; excitement radiating off of him in near vibrations.
“Well in that case I’m really going to brainstorm to impress you-”
You wanted to tell him he didn’t need to do that… you had the sneaking suspicion you were going to be buried in fish facts and puns. He was lucky his passion was endearing.
The door swung open- the sheer speed it snapped open under Finn’s hand and his splashing stunning the flower into silence before he can speak.
“Christmas..! Noon! I’ll be sure to remember!”

…You had said one, didn’t you?

Dandy’s eyes darted between you two before Finn shifted on his feet. Despite his eagerness to leave the room he had waited for you in the holiday gift shop- and even if the walk back to the party was spent in barely suppressed silence- a contrast to the walk to the gift shop earlier- the air remained light. Unspoken joy hung between you both- mostly radiating off of Finn as he visibly marked down ideas of how Christmas day should go.

He was lucky he was so endearing.

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

..It felt like glass- hard and cold. Something you could only describe a worn paper label rubbed against your palm as you wrapped your fingers around it. Short, but not small… thick… the neck was short and shallow and the cork almost felt like rubber against the tip of your finger.
If you were being honest you didn’t much care for how the still somewhat sticky residue of the label’s glue felt against your skin… whatever it was inside didn’t matter. The bottle was old and the paper was peeling. Admittedly you rushed in pulling the item out just so you didn’t have to feel the old glue against your hand for much longer.

A bottle of… makeup… black and grey- it didn’t take a genius to realize the owner.
You turned your head and spotted Blot somewhere towards the back of the crowd, of course standing with the rest of his troupe… None of them had noticed what was in your hand yet- not until you lifted it high into the air.

Dandy did the rest of the work in getting their attention… it was probably for the best, you felt a little silly standing there holding a bottle of make up over your head in front of everyone.
“Blot!” Dandy called out after sharply whistling. The circus troupe ceased their chatter- the mime’s singular eye fixed on the bottle in your hand… which was still raised in the air.
The mime put both his hands over his chest and leaned back- wordlessly asking “Who? Me?”
Yatta grinned and tugged on his shoulder- whatever she… not very quietly… whispered to him didn’t reach you.

…She did point at you though.
You couldn’t help but to shrink under her massive eyes.

Dandy playfully rolled his eyes- before he took the bottle of paint away from you and held it out to Blot, shaking it slightly in the air.
“We don’t have all night, you know,” He lightly teased… but something about the way his teeth clicked together made it sound like there was some…

You shake off the thought and force your eyes away from Yatta’s- catching Blot’s instead. For a toon so outwardly expressive it was sometimes hard to read him. The lack of mouth and eyebrows probably didn’t help.

…Did he have eyebrows?

…no, he didn’t- you could tell as soon as he started to step forward. Of course he couldn’t walk towards you like a normal person but everyone was so accustomed to his antics by now that no one batted an eye as he raised his knees up high with each step.
Dandy’s smile twitched on one side when Blot finally crossed the distance, taking the bottle of makeup and tucking it away… somewhere…
“Right-” The flower suddenly cleared his throat and shifted his feet just a bit- standing up straighter as he stared at the two of you. You couldn’t help but think he was looking down on the mime- but you weren’t given the chance to dwell on it for too long as you were both sent away down to the gift shop to start the round.

…At least you went towards the gift shop before it became clear in an instant that the players were intended to settle themselves into the connected storage room.
You catch a glimpse of one of the Christmas themed Looey plushies set out on the counter… it was…
..Well at least the hat was nice..

“...I don’t know how to feel about the… freckles on top of the… cheek circle… make up… things…” You mumbled softly as Blot pulled the door to the storage room wider- his foot propping it open as he turned to look at the plushie.
“!etuc skool ti kniht I”
Blot’s voice sounded garbled and weird- the noises stretching and squashing just to make the sounds actually come out.
The corner of your mouth twitched as you tried and failed to untangle what it was he had said- and you felt awful for not understanding him. Even if it was just seven minutes you can’t imagine it’d be fun to sit in a dark room with someone you can’t really… converse with.
A part of you almost cursed yourself for not taking more time to spend with the troupe. Maybe you could find a notebook somewhere in the gift shop..?

…No, there were none in sight.

So instead you just awkwardly smile at him and nod along as if you actually could understand every word he spoke.
The thought of actually communicating that you couldn’t understand didn’t cross your mind… the need to please and not be possibly seen as awkward was one hell of a thing… even if speaking up would lead to a less weird route…

“..s’that so?” You mumbled softly and hoped it was a normal response to whatever Blot had said.
Blot only stared at you for a moment before looking into the storage room. You weren’t sure if his silence was a good thing or not- but his invitation to step into the storage room was clear enough.

The moment you stepped inside your eyes stung from the dust lingering in the air- particles floated around, like someone had at least attempted to clean the place up before the game but clearly didn’t have the time, judging by the thick layers of dust still settled on the floor and the pile of Shelly plushies crammed into the corner.
By the time you blinked your eyes clean Blot had already set himself up against the wall in a sitting position, one of his legs neatly folded over his knee. His core strength was… admittedly impressive. You shoot him an awkward smile as his propped up foot shifted around lazily in the air… you’d sit across from him on the other wall… just not in a wall sit…

…and you remained silent.
Of course you felt bad about it but you genuinely, truly, had zero idea of how to even begin to decipher Blot’s words.
Would he be upset if you told him you couldn’t understand him? Would he be even more upset if you pretended you did?
As you debated what the right move was Blot spoke up and broke the silence between the two of you.

“...dekcohs elttil a yltsenoh m'I ,semag fo sdnik eseht yalp ot noot fo epyt eht ekil mees t'nod uoY” His warped voice carried through the air. Not loud enough to bounce off the wall but not quiet enough to go unnoticed by you… not that he was easy to ignore.
For a mime he actually talked quite a lot, but you’d never say that to him out loud.
And Blot continued to speak.
“-ereht tuo flesruoy tup uoy gniees ecin s'ti ,gniht dab a s'ti kniht I taht toN”
He pointed a gloved finger at you and you felt absolutely awful for simply nodding along.
Your teeth gritted slightly as your eyes darted between his face and his hand.

“Really?” You finally managed to draw out after half a second’s pause… but it felt like it was so much longer as your mind blanked and fumbled to think of some response that could make a lick of sense.
It seemed for now you were fine… Blot nodded again, the floppy pieces of ink on the sides of his head swaying with each bob of his head.
“.emag gnissik tesolc eht sekil ohw enoemos sa em ekirts t'nod uoy tub ...od uoy ...tcaretni ot dnet yllaer t'nod uoy tub gniht dab a s'ti kniht t'nod I !haeY”

The pitch of his voice picked up just a bit around the end… the beginning? What counted as the end of his sentences? It almost sounded like he was teasing you.
“.ereht tuo flesruoy gnittup uoy gniees ecin s'tI” …his voice was softer this time around.

Another click of your teeth as you tear your eyes away from him… how much longer was left of the round? You weren’t entirely sure you could keep this up with this lie for much longer.
Still the question of whether or not this was… the right thing to do… still hung in your head.
…But you knew it wasn’t the right thing. It didn’t even feel like it was an okay thing- but you’ve sunken so deep into it now that it might be worse if you spilled the truth now. Were you just going to pretend you could understand him forever going forward? Was this going to make Blot see you as another toon in Gardenview to talk to?
It’s not like he was in short supply of friends- even outside the circus troupe he had toons he could talk to who could understand him-

Blot’s hand waved gently for your attention.

“-ot htraE ?olleH”
You cut him off before he could finish whatever he was trying to say.
“Yeah! I guess it is kind of funny, huh?” You gave him an awkward forced grin.

Blot blinked and stared at you in silence for a long moment. The stretch of silence felt nearly unbearable as your skin crawled. The distant muffled sound of the Christmas music in the lobby didn’t make things any less tense- you think you’d rather it be dead quiet… the muffled music only added a weird dream-like feel to the dark storage closet. Horns blared weakly through the thick walls of the storage room- and it wasn’t until now that you realized just how much you hated Christmas time in Gardenview. The festive tune was always too loud, too persistent.

The awkward drumming of your fingertips against the wall behind you did next to nothing to ease the hot coil of anxiety making itself home in the pit of your gut. The room was supposed to be cold… so why did the back of your neck burn so much?
…Did toons even have necks? What part of your body was burning-

“ ?uoy nac ,em dnatsrednu yllautca t'nac uoY” Blot finally broke the suffocating silence. Whatever he said, he didn’t sound all that angry or upset. You quickly took the vaguely amused sound of his voice and ran with it- to you, you haven’t blown it yet. The mime’s singular eye squinted just a tiny bit, like he was fighting back an invisible smile.

The hot knot in your gut relaxed just a tiny bit as you leaned back into your lie.

“Yeah I know right? I can’t believe it either-” You forced out a dry laugh and prayed that it sounded natural enough to the mime.
It didn’t… but it made you feel better to tell yourself otherwise.
“gniod er'uoy tahw ees I ...yakO” You offered him a weak laugh in the face of his distorted words. “.em rof nuf erom siht sekam tsuj siht ,ti tuoba dam ton m'I”

You nod in agreement to whatever he was saying and shifted around against the cold wall behind you- the metal door behind you leading to… wherever… freezing through your clothes.
The flesh of your cheeks ached at how hard you were forcing the smile over your face, but you didn’t dare drop it out of fear that the sudden shift would give everything away to the toon in front of you. Instead you focus on dragging your foot through the thick layer of dust under you- and marvel at just how… dirty.. The room was…
No actually, why was there so much dust? Did the staff just… not bother cleaning up back here because the visitors wouldn’t ever see it? Clearly they go back here- there were clear tracks where the staff would walk and the more popular toons had pristine plushies set to the side to be purchased. You shake the threads of dust off of your foot- horrifyingly there were loose strands of shed hair mixed in with the mess.

It took everything in you not to gag at the clumped up feel on your leg.
Blot snickered to himself.

“-ereh ni yhtlif s'ti ,ereht detcepxe uoy tahw wonk t'nod I” He shifted his position against the wall- only slipping a little bit as his foot caught on some dust but otherwise he remained sat against the wall.
You could nearly see the chair he envisioned for himself.
“.pohs eht ni deyats tsuj evah dluohs ew kniht ot gnitrats m'I ...ereh ni emag eht tsoh ot aedi doog a saw ti thguoht ydnaD yhw erus toN…”

The smile on your face twitched slightly.

“How come you wanted to play this game…? You give off… spin the bottle vibes instead of…”
You gesture around the dusty room.
“...the closet game….”

That at least seemed to give Blot pause in his shuffling around. He folded his hands politely over his knee and looked you up and down.
Judgement, that’s what your brain automatically decided. Even if there was still amusement in his eye- twinkling just barely as it caught the light seeping in from under the door.
“ .gniyas m'I tahw wonk yllautca t'nod uoy nevig ,tsenoh eb ot truh t'now ti sseug I” Blot only shrugged, but he continued to speak- and you really did try to do your best to pick apart the noises but to no avail.
“...ekaf dna decrof oot s'ti ...hguoht ,won thgir no tog ev'uoy eno eht ton -elims ruoy gniees ekil I ...tub ,lla dna htuom on ,uoy gnissik ...pu dne yllautca d'I taht ton -uoy htiw ereh ni teg ot gnipoh saw I”

His eye wandered around the room as he spoke before finally settling back on your face- your awkward grin as you nodded along to what he was saying. A soft look broke over his limited features.

“.sgnileef ym truh ot gniyrt ton er'uoy gniwonk teews s'ti tuB…”

“Yeah?” You finally spoke out after a few seconds.

“.haeY”

“Yeah..” You repeated.

Mercifully, someone knocked on the other side of the door- the game was over. A sense of relief washed over you as you (almost too) eagerly pushed yourself off of the wall behind you. The joints in your ankles lightly popped, and you took a moment to crack the rest of the stiff joints in your body.
“ ...yats ot woh no spit rof attaY ksa dluohs uoy ebyam ...netfo erom hcterts ylbaborp dluohs uoY” Blot’s eye twitched with each crackle and pop of your joints.
“...rebmil…”

“I don’t know about you but I’m just about ready to get out of here, it’s too cold… maybe I should take a page out of your book and start wearing sweaters until it starts warming up again…” You mumbled mostly to yourself as you stepped to the door.

Dandy greeted you on the other side, only glancing down at your dusty foot for a second before looking between you and the mime.
“I guess I should have spent more time cleaning up the room before starting the game, huh?” He snickered as Blot followed after you.
You only gave the flower a shrug. “I’m sure it’s not so bad… Tisha might blow a gasket though,”
Blot let out a reversed string of what you could only assume were laughs. Honestly the noise sounded terrifying but you kept that thought to yourself as the three of you walked back to the party.

Dandy returned to the center of it all to start the next game, leaving just you and Blot at the entrance.

“..It was nice spending that time with you even if we didn’t do anything,” You hooked your thumb over your shoulder. “I think I’m going to try some of the cookies before Yatta eats them all-”
You tried to make a break for it before you could get sucked into another awkward one sided conversation. Blot at least let you go easily.

Whatever warped words he said to you fell on deaf ears as you created distance between the two of you to go stew in the corner over the entire thing.

“......ynnuf”

Chapter Text

Everyone’s eyes glue onto you as you reach your hand into the opening of the sack and pull out…

Something beady and stringy finds itself in your fingers, and you can't help but roll your fingers over the points and curves of whatever it was- and even if it wasn't sharp enough to break skin, something a little pointer grazed against the back of your knuckles as you wrapped around whatever the object was. A charmed and beaded bracelet, and judging by the colored stars… you knew exactly who the owner was, you've seen him wear the thing so many times before when you joined him in the kitchen.

You'd feel like a bad friend if you didn't know.

But maybe you shouldn't have snapped your head so fast towards Cosmo's position. Not only did your neck pop a bit under the quick whip around, but you also made the poor dessert visibly jump just a little. He actually pointed at himself with the same startled look across his face, only to relax just a little bit as you dangled the bracelet in the air for everyone to see.

Dandy whistled softly and clicked his molars together, dragging the bag of items and trinkets away from you.

"Guess I don't need to call out names then! One less thing for me to do," He grinned. It didn't look all that sincere but you couldn't be bothered to linger on it as Cosmo closed the distance between the two of you and gently took the bracelet from you, and tucked it away into the safety of his jacket pocket.

Neither of you are given a chance to really say anything to each other before Dandy's already ushering you both off to the gift shop at the end of the hall. You tuned out the soft bickering between Dandy and Vee- who didn't seem all that eager to be used as a walking timer.

The walk to the gift shop was quiet. But not uncomfortable. You and Cosmo had been friends for so long that being stuck alone together didn't seem all that bad- the only noise shared between the two of you was him nervously checking the string of the bracelet.

"It's not tangled up is it…? If I had known what it was before I pulled it I would've…" you trailed off as you stood to the side, allowing the cake toon to step into the Christmas themed gift shop. They really didn't hold back on selling the wintery feel.

It was cold.

Either they were really committed to the bit or the heating was busted. Or maybe it just wasn't enough with the open train tunnel not too far off.

Cosmo hummed and screwed his face. "It's not, I just want to make sure everything's fine- I was actually planning on putting one of the kitchen tools in but… I don't want anyone getting nicked on something and- …honestly I don't know what else is in the bad, so…" He trailed off as the open storage door caught his attention.

"You think Dandy wants us to hide away in there? Looks dark…" You could see the dust particles floating around even from here. The sight alone made your throat itch.

You really didn't want to go in there. You really… really didn't want to go in there, you'd much rather brave the cold draft for a few minutes than suck in stuffy air.

By the looks of it, Cosmo didn't want to go in either… and almost hypocritically you nearly teased him for the look that spread across his face as he stared deep into the storage room. Even just focusing on it seemed to make the blackness inside grow deeper. Darkness was weird like that… maybe you'd ask Vee why that was, she seemed to know a lot.

"We can just sit down next to the door, if Dandy wanted us to go in the room he should have said that outright," You finally broke the silence that stretched on. At least thirty seconds must have been wasted, but was that really a big deal? There were still six left to go, and you were sure you could get the toon all to yourself another time- not that you had any reason to have sole ownership of his attention at any given time.

"Yeah… that's probably for the best, I don't want you getting any of that dust in your eyes," He mumbled softly as he stepped to the short plastic chairs set to the side. Child sized, but perfectly toon sized. The perks of being made to only stand at a few feet tall, it definitely came in handy for sneaking around. Though… the last time there was a company wide hide and seek there were a few scares from the more dedicated hiders.

Yatta. Yatta won. Of course she did- but in everyone's defense she was quite literally in the walls.

"You mean you don't want any dust in your icing- I'd hate to see you scrape it off and go bald for a bit," You finally allowed yourself to tease him. He was sweet, in every sense of the word, but sometimes you just couldn't help it.

And he took it like a champ, at least when it came from you. Because he knew you didn't mean any harm by it.

You two really were close.

It didn't even register how physically close the two of you were as you took up the chair next to him and leaned forward on the cold top of the table. Some drawings and toys still splayed across it… absentmindedly you snagged one of the still blank papers for yourself and started scribbling some lazy doodles with one of the abandoned crayons.

"I'm not- it's not being bald." He huffed softly. "…and I was actually going to ask if you wanted to help me make more icing… maybe even help pipe it on…" Cosmo took his own paper and started scribbling down something on his own.

…This was nice, actually.

You snorted.

"You'd really trust me to give you a new style? Do you reeeeeally think that's wise?"

The current color in your hand was swapped out for another- honestly you weren't even paying attention to what you putting to paper. Keeping your hands empty and free felt weird.

Brusha would be so jealous of your artistic ability, obviously.

The stretch of silence between the two of you went totally unnoticed by you as you continued to make a mess of the paper in front of you. It was also lost on you that Cosmo had put down the crayon in his hand and watched you close. A hard stare, but it wasn't angry. Not even upset. But it'd still have given you pause if you just looked back up at him for even just a moment.

"I'd trust you with anything," Cosmo finally broke the near perfect quiet between you both. Soft. But serious. "I think you have… a good judgment, actually- of taste! And other things?"

His scribbling finally picked back up just in time for you to look at him.

"Really? So you're saying if I gave you a mohawk you'd rock it no problem?" You snorted. You could imagine it now, whether or not it'd be feasible to make it out of cream and have it hold it's shape… maybe you could find some gelatin, that gave things structure right?

"You never know, maybe I could pull it off… but…" He tugged on the soft hood of his jacket. "You think it'd match my style?"

You purse your lips and squint at him. Even putting your hands up to really sell the look as you tried to visualize.

Okay maybe he couldn't rock a mohawk, but that didn't stop you from indulging in the idea of "what if!"-

"Maybe a mullet, but I'm not sure if I can style it right… not the best with… well, food stuff. That's your thing, and Sprout's thing. And-"

He got the point.

You trailed off.

It wasn't really a lie. Baking really wasn't your thing. Sure you weren't helpless in the kitchen and you have gotten better with time, but you still weren't anywhere near Cosmo's skill level- even if he had a tendency to burn a good chunk of his batches.

That was a timing and memory thing, not a baking thing. At least that's what it was to you. You were sure he could recite most of his recipes off the top of his head without consulting the countless papers he's scribbled them on. With verbal proof and physical, you've seen the way he instinctively grabbed for ingredients like muscle memory. The same kind of confident flow you've only seen from toons who you knew recited and practiced.

He was committed. And you were casual.

Once more Cosmo put down the crayon in his hand, and looked at you.

The eye contact would have been weird if he were anyone else. But you didn't look away as he scanned over your face.

"You did good in the kitchen today-"

"Because I had three people over my shoulder making sure I didn't mess anything up," You cut him off, albeit a bit harsher than you intended. You reel yourself back in with a sigh. "I don't mind being bad in the kitchen, honestly, I know I have other talents. I don't have to be some… master of all, or whatever,"

A shrug, but that didn't deter the other toon from trying to uplift you.

"We weren't really hovering, we all had our own parts," He glanced to the door of the gift shop for a moment. Suddenly everything felt too open and exposed- maybe you two should have just sucked it up and went into the storage room. It was probably too late for that now, I mean, it'd look weird if you just randomly got up and went into the side room.

"Our own batches, I mean… and I tried one of your cookies, and they were really good. You're improving," The scribbled on paper he had was pushed away as he turned in his seat to face you. "And I'm not just saying that because you're one of my best friends,"

"Wooow I'm still competing with Sprout for that title?" You teased.

He didn't smile or laugh.

You mumble an apology and try to ignore the conflicted look on his face. The way his eyebrows pulled closer felt a certain way.

"I remember the first time you came into the kitchen, you burnt your hand pretty bad," He mumbled softly as he eyed your fingers. It didn't leave much of a scar, only visible if you squinted. You didn't draw back as Cosmo took your fingers in his- slow and careful. Almost hesitant, like he was waiting for you to tug yourself out of his hold.

"But you were still so proud of the end product that you didn't care about that, and I think that's more important- you… you're having fun spending time with us in the kitchen, right?" He asked softly as he traced his fingers over the faint mark the hot baking sheet had left you with- honestly the entire ordeal back then was a little… funny looking back.

You had knocked the corner of the baking sheet on the fridge, and you thought you could get away with one handing the pan. One oven mitt. Without thinking you tried to catch the pan with your other hand.

The cookies were only halfway saved- still soft from the oven, most slid.. squashed against the raised lip of the pan.

You were so upset in the moment but as soon as the pain died back, the taste was actually.

…Nice…

Not perfect but it served as just enough motivation to bring you back to the kitchen despite the flaking dried up skin of your palm and fingers.

"…I am," You mumbled softly as your fingers twitched against his. The movement snapped his eyes down to your hands, and finally he tugged his away from yours.

"Sorry- sorry I should have asked before-" He mumbled, but he wasn't given the chance to launch into a string of awkward apologies as Dandy dipped into the doorway- the flower stopping right in his tracks when he found that neither of you were in the storage room.

"Ah- Thought you'd both go on and hide up in there-" He mumbled as his green hand remained clung onto the doorway. He pursed his lips, and sucked in his cheek. He didn't look that upset about it, maybe even relieved at the sight that it just looked like the two of you sat down and did nothing.

Weird, but at least he didn't drag this out as he spun on his heel.

"Well… uh…" Dandy's teeth clicked together awkwardly. "Next round is starting soon, so I recommend you two up and get outta here so the next duo can have their privacy,"

And with that he left, leaving you and Cosmo alone in the gift shop.

You both cleared your throats at the same time. And then swallowed back laughter- thank god for the both of you being nervous wrecks. You might've both say with the weird tension all night if you couldn't find the humor in anything.

"Why don't we go get some of the desserts before Yatta decimates them," You rose up from the plastic chair.

How the kids could sit in them without issues was beyond you. Your lower back was hating you right now.

"I actually tried one of your cookies earlier, it was good,"

"Was it?" You waited for Cosmo by the door, just as you had when you entered. He hummed, jogging up to your side. "I was actually kind of worried- think I tricked myself into thinking I got the sugar and salt mixed up… again.."

"It's a common mistake! Boxten did the same thing the other day… they really do look similar… I've actually been thinking about asking Brusha if she could paint one of the containers so they don't look so similar…" He rubbed the back of his head.

"…we could ask her when she's free.. think we can butter her up with a treat?"

Alas, you'd both have to wait to pursue the paintbrush- the two of you had walked right by her as she walked by Glisten's side to the gift shop.

That was certainly… a pairing. Maybe it'd be best to ask her for a favor tomorrow, something you and Cosmo both agreed on as you stepped to the already ravaged treat table.

Chapter Text

You reach your hand into the bag…

And feel something hard- almost wooden. Not splintery. Smooth with that faint grainy feel wood carved pieces have. It had no holes- except.. no, it did. Bottle necked and large enough to stick your thumb inside. Something cool and plastic-y grazed against your knuckles. Looped. Seven of them, alternating their rotations back and forth.

Whatever it was you didn't spend much more time studying the way it felt in your hand, not when everyone's eyes were burning into you like this- intense enough to make you squirm even as the Christmas music continued to drift through the air. Crashing more like… one would think they'd turn down the lobby's music after closing but alas here you were; stuck with trumpets clashing in your skull.

You also didn't mean to just about rip the item from the bag- whatever it was it seemed sturdy enough to handle the motion, though you weren't sure if you'd be able to handle being labeled as eager for drawing someone.

A whistle.

A long wooden whistle with a string of colored chains on the end, of which were still dangling loosely in the air.

You'd seen it be used several times as the train pulled into the tunnel, and when it wasn't being used it was set on the counter in Dyle's shop- which doubled as a control room for the train- where it belonged.

"That would belong to me," Dyle wasn't shy, he stepped right within range for his item to be returned.

Of all the toons to partake in the game, the pocket watch was probably the last on your mind- you didn't even realize he had left his shop to join the party. By the look in his eye he seemed… irritated. Like he had better things to do than to play some silly closet game-

"Now how'd that get in there!" Dandy pipped up- his voice hitched high as he let the bag of collected trinkets fall to the ground, slumped against his green leg.

The hands on Dyle's faces twitched in irritation as the flower returned the same energy half way hidden behind a smile- as if, despite planting the item there himself, he was disappointed that it had been drawn so quickly.

Maybe he had wanted the clock for himself… he sure was staring rather intensely at you like you had done something wrong by unknowingly picking the whistle.

"Don't play daft, Dandicus-" Dyle's hour hand clicked upwards before settling back down as he kept his tone smooth and even. The chain of the whistle had already been hooked to the belt of his pants, the wooden piece itself tucked securely in his side pocket. The clock looked like he was about to go on, but the flower cut him off before he could fully scold him for the act of theft.

"Come oooon it's only seven minutes," Dandy beamed up at him- the height difference was considerable. Even if the loop and chain was taken out of consideration, Dyle was definitely one of the taller toons walking around Gardenview. "How bad can seven minutes really be," But Dandy's voice sounded forced. You caught it, the way the corner of his mouth stretched and flashed the gritting of his teeth as he tried so hard to keep up that cheery facade.

"I'm already taking the burden of timing each round off of you, you can do this for me right?" He muttered quieter.

It wasn't the type of plea that would make Dyle back down- actually with your limited interactions and the one off chatter where he was the subject on conversation, Dyle didn't sound like the type of toon to back down once he's set his mind on something. He was committed to his choices and routine, and to an extent that was admirable.

But even the most resolute had their breaking points- and Dyle's happened to be a flower that knew how to really ramp up the charm to a sickening degree all in the name of "making friends"- Dandy really was a clone of his 2D self.

You got the feeling that Dyle didn't much care for Dandy all that much, but to unpack that right there felt overwhelming just to think about- thankfully you wouldn't have to as Dyle's face untensed in defeat.

"Very well."

And just like that the two of you made your way down to the gift shop- not Dandy's, rather the one that the holiday toons would set shop in when it was their time of year, the small room currently decorated in fake snow and posters plastering the Christmas toons all over. It smelled both cold and warm- dry and toasty with frost and cinnamon.

You did not go into the gift shop.

"If you don't mind," Dyle's steps slowed to a stop in the middle of the hallway, his hands neatly folded behind his back- polite. He looked polite. He didn't look all that irritated anymore, the half lidded look he normally held already returned as he lazily cocked his head to the side, aimed for his own gift shop. "I would prefer if we spend this… game…"

"Oh!" Your feet awkwardly caught on the floor, but nevertheless you still turned your body to the door of his shop. "'course,"

You've been to Dyle's shop, but you've never actually set foot inside of the space. You don't think any of the other toons have, and you were sure you've never seen one of the human staff step inside once the clock was fully settled inside and given everything he needed. Not even maintenance for his control panel, as far as you knew.

Granted it wasn't like you were constantly lingering around in the lobby catching who comes in and out of the locked up room- the door to which was currently being opened by the toon in front of you… almost endearingly, the end of the key in his hand was flower shaped.

You weren't exactly sure what you were expecting to see in the shop- sure you've seen the front that was displayed to everyone else. The shelves and panels- but you never could get a good look beyond that.

Regardless as your eyes settled on the almost sad looking layout you couldn't help but feel like you were just let in on this big secret.

Sure the walls looked a little bland and plain- the wallpaper broken up by a calendar and some posters- all train themed… all looking unofficial, more like concepts rather than something finalized. There were books too, Dyle had his own little personal secondary work space behind the wall of the main area. You were more than a little delighted to see that The Polar Express was currently neatly tucked on the upper corner of the desk. There was a second larger book set on the desk, with dozens of colored papers sticking up out of the top and sides- words too tiny for you to make out from here stretched along the pieces that were visible. Notes in similar condition littered the wall around the desk. Times and items were all that you could really read as you passed by.

The entire thing felt too intimate, even if this wasn't where Dyle retired for the night after closing. Surely he had his own room like the other toons- even if it wasn't a dedicated floor like the main toons had.

It was then that it finally clicked that Dyle, at least to the public eye, wasn't really a character many would actually know of.

"Would this be a bad time to say I wasn't expecting you to…" You nearly said partake in the celebrations but that sounded a little… "Participate in the game?" A glance is tossed to the toon as he shuts the door behind him and smoothed over his coat where he pushed the key back inside.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you- I feel like we never actually get the chance to see you around," It's tacked on, but you hoped the intention got across. "You seem like a nice toon to be around,"

His minute hand twitched. Done with it or amused it was hard to tell as he shifted the long chain on his head to the side as his eyes scanned across you- maybe he wasn't used to seeing someone standing in his space. You couldn't exactly blame him. He clearly doesn't expect guests. Not that the space was obscenely messy. It certainly looked lived in- almost comfortable, with its own neat mess. You could find yourself getting comfortable in his stool as you look over the collection of paper schedules that just about replaced the wallpaper. Red ink, you noticed. He used a red pen to write everything down.

"Dandicus stole my whistle," The hands on his face finally stilled and fell back in their usual positioning.

He wasn't a functional clock… though you figured it'd probably get inconvenient with having two clock hands rotating over your face-

Dyle continued on. "The holidays won't stop the train, we are still due for deliveries-"

"Even tonight when everything's closed off?" You leaned against the wall, mindful of where you pressed your shoulder against the chilled wall- careful to not push against any notes. "…Sorry I didn't mean to cut you off like that-"

Dyle's eyes lingered on you, still half lidded. Shiny. His entire face was shiny but there was a certain glimmer on his eye lids. "The only train due tonight has already passed,"

You only hummed softly. Then there was no reason for him to keep himself held up for the night- you wanted to say it, but instead chose to hold your tongue. "I mean even if you were… just getting your whistle back," Your eyes catch on the brightly colored chain that remained looped around his belt buckle like an anchor, now impervious to any swiping and theft that might take place again for the second time tonight. "It's nice to see you out and about, I feel like I never get to see you outside of… you know," Dyle's eyes follow the jerk of your head, the wall- the train's control panel on the other side just out of sight.

That wasn't a weird thing to say, was it?

It wasn't like you and Dyle were buddy buddy, the two of you hardly ever talked and it never lasted more than polite pleasantries- basic check ins and hellos to avoid silently passing by one another awkwardly.

You'd be open to having him as a friend, but would he feel the same?

It's not like Dyle ever turned away from any toon that had seeked him out for one thing or another- actually you'd seen him scoot closer to the counter whenever someone needed his opinion on something. Toon, staff, and visitor alike he was more than happy to give them his time.

…

This was really awkward.

"…I made cookies,"

Nice save. A wonderful save actually!

…

"Did you now?" Dyle finally broke the thick silence that had begun to layer itself between the two of you- you were just about to devote yourself to pretending to find the notes and papers on the wall interesting… though they were from what you saw out of the corner of your eye. The train really did come by a lot more often than you could ever imagine. Of course you knew it was responsible for taking the visitors too and from Gardenview, but you never fully let it sink in that it was how supplies were brought in-

"I did! And, even better? I didn't ruin them this time!" Finally something to latch onto instead of just lingering on nothing. "I do think they turned out pretty good, even Cosmo said they were good,"

As if that was really a feat, the cake was kind and supportive.

"You say that as if your baking isn't a treat,"

…Was that a pun?

Dyle continued on like you weren't having an internal battle about it. "I quite like your baking, actually… I hate to sound like I'm pressuring you, but I'd love for you to drop off some cookies every now and again,"

Oh!

Oh!

"Oh-" The back of your throat suddenly felt both dry and wet- thick. Funny how that works. "Did.. are you sure? I mean I wouldn't mind it, but I'm sure Cosmo's baking is a lot better than mine- Sprout's too. Definitely Sprouts,"

Oh God stop talking please.

It felt like your words were clinging into the ink covered notes on the walls- you wonder if this entire interaction would feel more natural if you were in the gift shop. If being within Dyle's space felt like a breach before then it felt like a break in- regardless of the fact that he had asked you to enter.

Finally your ram bling slowed to a stop, just in time to catch the way Dyle's softened.

The clock didn't look tired.

But he certainly looked worked down.

He looked soft, the way his head just slightly inched the side- hardly noticeable but you caught it, and the way his weight leaned to one side.

"If it's no trouble,"

"Oh it's no trouble at all! I'm just surprised you want my cooking, you know? I'm still… new to it…" The shoulder propping you around the wall tensed and flexed, rolling before finding its next comfortable placement. "Guess it'd give me an excuse to mess around in the kitchen again- I did see some baking chips that looked like they'd be fun to play with… never made anything with butterscotch before…" The last part was mumbled, but Dyle latched right onto it.

"I've never tried butterscotch, actually," The hands on his face curved with his smile. "I'd trust you with my first experience,"

Well now you had even more of an excuse to fiddle around in the kitchen-

"I think you'd like butterscotch- it's kind of like caramel, but… not? It's weird to explain but its nice," The meat of your cheek suctions itself to your teeth, fleshed rolled between your molars for a minute. "…Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

The train.

"…Asides from your usual thing, I mean," Flesh released from your teeth as you shifted once more against the wall. You probably should have taken a seat in the stool in front of his desk. Alas in your mind it felt too late to ask now, lest you make this entire interaction even more awkward right as it was starting to feel more… normal.

You follow Dyle's eyes as they dragged to the notes and schedules lined up on the wall next to you- and it was really only then that you noticed that you couldn't snoop if you tried.

It wasn't that Dyle's handwriting was messy. It was tightly packed and looped, ensuring just about every space and crevice of the papers was used- not only that some terms didn't make much sense to you. Personal terms and words for trains and transportation that you didn't really get- the only real words you could pinpoint were "cargo" "arrival" and some of the names of toons- requests, you think, judging by the fact that some of them looked like the baking goods you'd find within the kitchen every now and then.

It actually raised a few questions, like how much say Dyle had in what was delivered- but you'd have to grill him on that. Perhaps a conversation starter in the future, when you were dropping off your latest batch of baking to the clock.

"I may be available tomorrow evening, we've got a sizable drop off tomorrow morning but unloading shouldn't last past noon,"

Dyle smiled, and you couldn't help but return it.

"I could maybe get started on the dough early… let it chill a bit- Cosmo doesn't usually… chill his dough for long…" You mumbled. "Makes them spread too fast- crispier… I mean unless you like them crispy-"

"I fear… Cosmo tends to make his cookies a little too crispy…" Dyle lightly grimaced as his eyes flickered back to the door. Shuffling just outside. "I believe Dandicius is wondering where we've gone off too,"

"Aw man… has it really been seven minutes already?" You mumbled as you just about peeled yourself from the wall- wobbling before regaining yourself- "I felt like we were finally just getting somewhere, I was actually starting to enjoy myself-" The words catch in your throat. It wasn't that you didn't enjoy his company, you did- but…

Dyle smiled.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that by the time you drop off your cookies I'll be free for the remainder of the day,"

You snatch another glance to the notes, and with some effort you could… not very confidently say that tomorrow didn't look all that open.

"If not, I suppose pushing off the less dire tasks for the following day wouldn't hurt," Dyle bundled and loosely wrapped the chain around his arm as he stepped towards the room's door. "I'll make the time for you,"

And with that the door was pulled opening, revealing Dandy standing right there with his hand raised and ready to knock. "Last I checked this ain't the holiday gift shop," He grinned.

It didn't look like it reached his eyes as you tried to look over Dyle's shoulder. Honestly the flower looked a little flushed at the revelation, like some big grand rule was broken for picking a different room to talk and waste time in. Regardless, he only spluttered as you spoke up.

"I don't think you specified which gift shop- you just said…" You trailed off as Dandy's dark eyes snapped to your face. He stared. Hard.

Unreadable.

Like he was dissecting you on the spot to try to figure out what all you and Dyle had gotten up to during the seven minutes you were left alone together- something possessive twitched in his brow before he suddenly leaned back with a huffed laugh. "I guess I didn't! Well, now you know!"

It was probably for the best the interaction didn't last much longer after that- whatever problem Dandy had with either of you left the back of your throat feeling off. You weren't sure if you'd prefer him to be upset at Dyle or not- his wrath aside. You'd never really seen the flower like that, but-

"I'd be delighted if you could show me which of the cookies are yours, I'd like to have a sample before I commit to an entire personal batch," Dyle's soft and smooth voice reeled you back into the moment. Grounding, soft. It lacked the tense undertone of Dandy's clipped voice- he even offered his arm for you to take, and gently you took it; fingers gingerly placed along his sleeve rather than fully wrapping around.

Was this… normal for an acquaintance?

Maybe Dyle was just old fashioned and polite- he wouldn't be the first toon to be like that.

That's what you told yourself as you allowed Dyle to walk you back to the party- with you ignoring the double takes from the other toons as you stepped up to the treat table, before pointing out which cookies you had made.

With any luck, Dyle would serve as a consistent motivator to keep your baking hobby up.

Chapter Text

You don't know how they did it, but they managed to make the entire lobby smell strongly of hay and candy corn- a combination that you didn't mind at first, but grew tired of as the weeks leading up to Halloween dragged on. To make the air smell both dry and sugary sweet… it should have been considered a crime, made worse as the air inside the lobby grew drier as the world above became colder with the changing seasons; the breeze from the tunnel chilling everything it came into contact with. The heaters could only do so much, and sometimes (a lot of the time) the human staff were near authoritarian with how a toon dressed. Because how dare someone in a small body not built to radiate and maintain heat slip on a sweater- at least that was the current bitter thought that hung in your mind as you leaned against the railing of the elevator as it crawled back up to the accursed lobby.

A party to celebrate Halloween, mostly orchestrated by Dandy himself- but once the holiday's poster child caught wind of the news, he jumped right into setting decorations. As best as the small pumpkin could at least- Connie was kind enough to skip her typical lethargy to lend a hand where his fell short. Literally and metaphorically- the tree had never looked spookier as it was wrapped in fake spider web and draped with plastic skeletons… which were quickly removed due to how morbid the sight looked, strung up by their necks and all.

Alas that was where Connie's kindness for the day stopped- it wasn't unheard of for the ghost to snoop around and pop up into sight when it was least expected. But with spooky season creeping closer she had become… more persistent- at least that's what you thought, but to everyone else she was still at her normal frequency.

It seemed, for one reason or another the toon had made you her target. It got worse when her brother began to patrol the halls of Gardenview. But she was smart enough to vanish from sight before you could get Soulvester to reel his sister back in.

The entire thing was weird, and you felt totally justified in feeling on edge as you rode the elevator down while clutching a orange bat print plate absolutely filled to the brim with cookies that still radiated warmth and gently reeked of cinnamon and chocolate- butterscotch intertwining as a compliment to the richness of it. The only shame was that you had no pecans to add to the mix but hopefully, no one would mind.

If not, you weren't the only one who had baked something for the party- even if you were the last to arrive… you'd've felt awful for leaving the mess in the kitchen for Tisha to find and tidy.

Not to mention the quick run to your bedroom to slip on one of the few sweaters you actually had in your possession- Gardenview was closed and just about all of the human staff had already clocked out for the night. Though now that you thought about it, did you ever see any staff around once the place closed for the night?

…Weird.

Maybe the main's handler's were around, but even then you've never seen them after closing either.

…Really weird.

But whatever- you could dwell on it once you've balanced your plate of cookies over to the assorted snack table… a task that would prove harder than you once thought as you stepped into the lively and crowded lobby as just about nearly toon in the building- save for the other holiday toons of course- mingled with one another and drifted about doing their own thing.

Or running- a tiny toon nearly slammed into your calf the second you stepped out into the main area of the lobby, before they skidded to a halt. A second small pair of feet slowed to a stop right by you.

"-Sorry! M'sorry!" One of the voices- Gourdy- piped up as he dug his soft green foot into the floor below. No doubt embarrassed as his face tilted down away from you, Toodles squirming on the spot as Pebble- who was standing a few feet away- waited patiently for them to return to their game of chase. "I didn't see you there-" Gourdy added softly.

"I didn't see either-" Toodles piped up.

"You're both fine- just be more careful next time, okay?" The plate of cookies is shifted around in your hands, none had slipped off the plate thankfully. "I don't think I've ever seen everyone in the same place at once like this… definitely more than a little packed, and I'd hate for one of you to get stepped on-"

Alas your warnings seemed to fall on deaf ears as both of the children lock onto the plate of warm cookies in your possession.

They'd both be hopped out on sugar by the end of the night. That much was inevitable, and while Rodger was around to maintain Toodles, you… weren't sure who was going to ensure Gourdy got to bed at a reasonable time.

Regardless, you couldn't quite bring yourself to deny them. "Just one- at least until I can get this set down at the table," The second you lowered yourself for them they made a grab for the treats.

"I can take it to the table!" Gourdy offered as his clawed hand hooked around a soft cookie.

One. Two.

…A third cookie suddenly drifted into the air.

"…Connie." You mumbled softly- although you weren't expecting her to reveal herself.

She did, with a snicker.

"I'm just making sure things get to the table without any issue, can't a girl be helpful?"

Right. One cookie at a time.

It was the little things like that that got under your skin. You'd almost prefer for her to be outright malicious but Connie, at least with how she behaved around you, wasn't that kind of toon.

You actually half expected her to reach for another cookie to commit to the bit. Connie didn't, instead drifting over slowly to where her brother had sat himself stationed at the snack table- sword gripped in his hand in an almost protective stance. A knight has to have something to protect, you supposed.

Gourdy cleared his little throat, turning your attention back to his offer.

"It's fine- why don't you and Toodles go on and keep playing? I'm sure the both of you are dying to get back to your game… and it looked like Pebble is too," A sideways glance to the stone who was still wagging his rocky tail eagerly, poised up on the tips of his feet and ready to bolt at any sudden movement.

They didn't need to be told twice- running towards the dog, cookies still in hand, to resume their game. One could only hope the worst thing they'd experience tonight was dropping their cookies on the carpet and potentially staining it with the still gooey baking chips.

On your heel you spun back to the snack table- near the entrance of the lobby's hall; a sea of toons between your current location and your destination.

The journey only lasted for another minute or two before you're faced with another obstacle- another toon. Ribecca- not to make it sound like you disliked her. In fact you quite enjoyed her pointers in fashion on the rare chance you got to see her during the year.

It really was kind of messed up that the holiday toons became reclusive once their time was up… it made one start to wonder just how much free will everyone was given… but why think of that now when you're surrounded by friends who will be gone by the end of the season- before that, actually. You don't recall sitting next to Gourdy during Thanksgiving.

…Maybe that was for the best when there was pumpkin pie on the table.

You nearly offered her a cookie on the spot, it'd feel awkward if you walked by without doing so… until you remembered that she was just bones. Ribecca, to your knowledge, has never eaten anything and does not possess the ability to do so.

Instead your hand flicked up, halfway raised and stilled in the air in perhaps the most awkward gesture to ever be communicated in the history of anything ever. Even worse, your fingers were already preemptively curled to point to the cookies in your grasp.

"Ah- wait-" An awkward huffed laugh as you forced your hand to clumsily support the side of the platter once more. "I… might have forgotten for a second-"

Ribecca took it in stride, offering a faint shrug. "Don't worry about it, things happen," Her bones clicked gently into the air as she shifted her weight between her feet. "Honestly it's probably better this way, I've seen how messy those little chips can be."

She had a point.

Melted chocolate chips always seemed to have a knack for finding themselves smeared around just about anything they've been around- you swear there'd still be some smeared along your lips even after aggressively trying to scrub your lips clean.

Horrid little things. Yet they were delicious and a favorite, a simple burden.

"But your baking always smells so good- hate to have to pass it,"

"You've got a point though!" Your feet shimmied around on the carpet under them, tugging small bumped onto the material- you always hated when that happened. More awkward shifting. Even more to keep the cookies from slipping and sliding all over the place. "I mean, I really like this sweater but I'm pretty sure I'm going to find some butterscotch on it the moment I drop this off at the snack table-"

Connie had already left the space, leaving Soulvester alone to guard it.

"-you think I'm gonna have to sneak these past Soulvester? He looks… attentive…"

He stood as straight as a pin, sword clenched tightly in his gloved hands.

"He's mostly making sure Yatta doesn't destroy the entire thing before anyone else gets a chance to take anything. Heard she's already visited the table three times in the past ten minutes."

…She was exaggerating, right?

…She wasn't…

"Ah.."

"By the way," Ribecca turned her eyes back to you.

They looked nice. Her eye shadow was always perfect, and the dripping makeup always looked neat to you… but it felt… odd… seeing a skeleton with normal eyeballs- was that a rude thing to think? Definitely a rude thing to say.

"Is that a new sweater?" Her bony finger pointed to the front- and you move the cookies out of the way just enough to show her. A nod.

"Yeah!" All too excited, but- "Shelly actually made it, she figured it'd be nice to get into knitting alongside sewing- honestly? This might just be one of the coziest sweaters I've had in a long time!"

Not that you had many to begin with.

"I might just have to hunt her down and ask her if she's willing to throw something together with me… you look nice in that." Ribecca took a step back and got a good look at you. A really good look- you couldn't help but squirm under her stare as her lidded eyes (which were now just slightly squinted) raked across your entire figure.

Really the entire thing felt oddly intimate for just a moment of observation. Ribecca's jaw clicked against her skull, snapping you back to the moment.

"Well… If I find her first I'll let her know you want to see her," The plate of cookies is jostled lightly. "I'll keep you updated, but.."

Her eyes joined yours on the cookies.

"I won't keep you waiting-"

"I just don't want to get it all messy, you know,"

She knew. And she was kind enough to let you go without more attempts at conversation- one obstacle pushed through, only countless more to go.

The giggles of Gourdy and Toodles drifted through the spooky music that filled the lobby, only overshadowed by Pebble's eager bark snapping right through it with ease- like a hot knife through butter. For something so tiny, he sure knew how to make some noise and draw attention to himself.

Funnily enough another canine capable of drawing attention to herself… failed to make you aware of her presence as you nearly tripped on her tail- in an instant Eclipse snatched her tail up into the air, tucked carefully behind her back.

"I am so sorry- I didn't realize you were right behind me!" Her surprise nearly came out like a half-bark. Snout lightly creased as her paws flung to the outer edge of the platter to keep the entire thing from toppling out of your hands. She smelled vaguely of… pine. Pine and dirt. Like a dog- but not in the bad way. Eclipse smelled nice actually. At least you thinks that what a dog would smell like; the real ones, the ones with fur and stuff.

"No- no no it's fine, I should have been paying more attention… so many toons here.." You mumbled as the cookies slid and settled against one another. Crisis averted. "..Do you want one?"

Eclipse stared hard at the cookies for a moment, before her ear twitched. "It's got chocolate, I don't think I can have that-"

Right.

Wolf.

"Ah-" You suck the inside of your cheek- "I knew I should have made peanut butter cookies too- feels like every goodie nowadays has some chocolate in it,"

You were only partially joking- but now that you thought about it… how many times did you see chocolate left around from the visitors who apparently didn't know what a trash can was? Definitely a lot more often than the other candies in Gardenview. Granted the chocolate offered was far from the best… you swear it had a weird pukey aftertaste but no one seemed to believe you.

Eclipse perked up- "You'd do that?"

"I wouldn't mind, I mean… I've been trying to get more into baking, been practicing since last Christmas- actually…"

Didn't you bring cookies for the last party Dandy decided to host or were you misremembering? No, wait, it had to be you bringing down one of the batches Cosmo made- that had to be it? No wait-

"I'd love to be your taste tester then! Yatta was actually just telling me about your baking, she's got me all excited too," Eclipse grinned and bared her sharp teeth at you. Sharp and white and big and-

Why exactly did they think it was a good idea to give an over excitable wolf toon big teeth? Not that you found Eclipse herself intimidating… most of the time… but you never really took the time to notice how prominent her canines were.

"Maybe I can see if Dyle can get his hands on carob, I hear that's a good chocolate replacement for dogs," You purse your lips. "…though I'm not entirely sure if carob chips are a thing… guess we'll find out if I can get a minute with him!"

"Oh you're the best!" Eclipse's tail pulled itself away from the back of her leg, and wagged gently in the air. "I could lend a hand too! I've been wanting to get into baking too… but…" Her fingers ran through her fur. "I shed,"

Eclipse actually shed a lot.

You found a few stray blue hairs already clinging onto your knitted sweater by the time the scent of the still fresh treats at the snack table hit your nose. If anything it was a little impressive how the fluff seemed to get everywhere… and now sparing the cookies.

"Halt!"

Soulvester's helmet swiveled towards you- sharply and just as attentive as ever. He stood alone now with his sword still clutched in his gloved hands. Sure enough a dent had already been made in the collection of snacks on the table.

Noticeably, Soulvester relaxed when he realized it was just you- his heavy steps sounded firm against the floor as he stepped to the side to give you more than enough room for you to try to squeeze the cookie platter onto the table.

"I take it Yatta's already made a dent in your hoard?" You teased softly, giving him a lopsided smile… was that… the right term? Word? Hoard? Treasury? Bounty? No bounty definitely wasn't right-

Soulvester's visor fell with a sharp click half a second after you smiled at him.

"Did you just grease that up?"

Soulvester's hand tightened its grip on his sword. "As a knight I must maintain the state of my armor," For a suit of armor that was actually just a ghost puppeteering it- an entity notorious for not having muscle or bone- you could just about feel the tenseness in his jaw as he remained rooted firmly to the spot on the carpet.

…But he was a toon first and a ghost second- and a knight third. So actually-

He made zero move to lift his visor up, and while the temptation to reach forward and push it up was there… you kept your hands to yourself.

Again like habit, you nearly offered Soulvester a cookie- honestly even if the rejections were valid (not that you'd forcefully shove a baked good down someone's throat if they weren't) you had to admit, it stung a little.

You knew he could eat, but if he would was an entirely different question. At least you assumed he could eat, Connie could. You think.

…Now that you think about it, did you actually see Connie bite into the cookie she had taken?

"I will refuel myself once everyone has received their share,"

You didn't need to see his eyes to know he was looking at the cookies too- he had followed your gaze, helmet visibly tilted downwards to stare at your platter.

"It's just a party," You wanted to say, but you remained tight lipped as your hands find themselves at your sides.

His service was incredibly important to him, you knew that. You knew that well, actually. Really trying to convince him to back down and just let his guard down for tonight was going to be a losing battle, and as much as you enjoyed his company, you did want to make the most of tonight before the energy started to simmer back down.

So instead, you wave Soulvester goodbye and mumble a quiet praise for his hard work on protecting the goods for tonight as you made your way to the rapidly growing congregation around Dandy- who was holding a giant sack. Burlap and filled with God knows what, lumpy.

"About time you showed up Dewdrop!"

"What's going on?" You mumbled softly to the toon next to you- Vee.

"He wants us to play seven minutes in Heaven." She sounded totally and completely uninterested as she fiddled with the mic, fingers looped around the cord as she wiped away faint smudges on the handle.

"Of course you don't haaaaaaaave to play, but we all figured you should go first- since you were the last to show up tonight," He winked. "Last one there rules, sorry I don't make them up."

…Yes he did??

What choice did you have?

…Okay well you had the choice to back out and just sit out the game- a few of the other toons were already sitting around doing their own thing so at least you wouldn't be the only one not playing- but…

You chew the inside of your cheek.

You did say you wanted to have some fun tonight, didn't you?

Dandy present the opening of the sack to you- dark, you can't see anything inside… and slowly you reach your hand forward and a second later wrap your fingers around something, and pull out…

Chapter Text

And with everyone's eyes on you, your hand is pressed into the burlap sack-

The moment your fingers broke past the opening, all sorts of trinkets brushed against your knuckles. Hard beads of bracelets and… was that a brick. That was a brick that scraped against your finger… maybe it was a good thing you pushed your hand in slow, you weren't all that interested to nurse a potential blister in the making over the aftermath of the holidays. So instead you opted for something softer- and you found that. Soft to the touch and round.

Could you be blamed for looking right at Scraps as the ball of purple and green yarn was tugged out into the open?

"…That's not mine…" The crafted cat muttered as her tail swished around behind her- not angry, just confused as the paper that made her ears twitched. It didn't belong to her but it didn't at all stop the tracking of her eyes as you pulled the ball closer- it could be Shelly's, she had knitted the sweater that currently wrapped around your frame… but the colors didn't seem like hers, so…

"That'd be mine." Ribecca stepped forward casually, hands pushed into the pockets of her sweater. She looked completely unbothered as everyone's eyes briefly settled on her before darting between the both of you. It wasn't really until then that the stares really processed and as much as you tried to fight it, you still shrank into the wool collar of the sweater.

"I didn't know you knitted, Ribecca!" Dandy clapped his palms together, the grin stretched across his face too cheery as he stood by the both of you as the skeleton toon closed the distance… you weren't… actually sure what to do with the yarn, so to her hands it went as you awkwardly flashed her a lopsided grin. "I take it you made that sweater yourself?"

She nodded. "I did, actually it was one of my first projects,"

"Well its a good thing you only put the thread in… I saw you working on something earlier with that little needle of yours- wouldn't want anyone getting an ouchie so early on in the night," Dandy snickered.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ribecca's bones creaked as she shifted her weight between her feet- in all honesty she looked… bored. Not wanting to be there- but of course… if she really didn't, her item wouldn't have been put into the sack. You told yourself that, but you knew- she probably didn't know the game was going to happen when Dandy had asked her to put something in the bag.

But she could have backed out at any moment.

And she didn't.

Your hands grabbed onto the bottom of your sweater, fingers rubbing against the loops and stitches as Dandy's smile stretched wider at the skeleton toon. "Well, I'm sure I don't need to break down the rules of the game-" His stare focused on your face. "Do I?"

He didn't.

With a nod the two of you were sent off to the gift shop room- to find the typically locked storage room's door wide open. A cold draft rolled across the floor and nipped at your ankles. If you tensed, then Ribecca shivered as she retracted into the sleeves of her sweater.

Unlike when the room was decorated for Easter and Christmas, there wasn't really anywhere to sit. No stools, no benches. Either the crates, and before you could think of some solution Ribecca was already propping herself up against the wall, shoulder pushing the door closed.

"I take it Dandy wants us to go in there… and I don't know about you, but I want to stay at least a little warm," Her tone was bored, even if the back of her… well you suppose she didn't have a throat, being bones and all- even if the trail of her voice quivered to fight back the shivering rattle of her frame. "Hope you don't mind,"

You join her by the wall, even through the wool a chill ran up your spine. You could only imagine what it was like for Ribecca. "Nah… this is fine anyway, I don't think I'm dressed for that kind of cold anyway… I kind of wish the game was in Dandy's shop honestly- what with the tunnel right there," You jerk your head to the vacant train tunnel. It was always a nightmare being around it during this time of year- there wasn't… really a way to block the draft from coming in, not without shutting down the tunnel and cutting off the flow of supplies. Dyle wouldn't allow it to happen either way. Not to think ill of him, but he didn't seem the type to stop his routine for anyone, especially if they were just a little cold-

"You said Shelly made you that sweater?"

You're pulled back to the moment, and nodded- sucking in the meat of your cheek. "She did- I think she consulted Brusha for opinions on.. what?"

Ribecca had scoffed.

"Nothing, it's just Brusha," The skeleton crossed her arms over her chest, foot resting against the the wall behind her. "She just gets on my nerves is all,"

It looked like she did more than just get on Ribecca's nerves judging by the grip on her sleeve. Your teeth roll against the inside of your cheek- sucking and pulling the flesh against the molars before releasing with a sort of squeak.

"I mean…" Okay so maybe the brush wasn't the kindest. "She's not the worst- she's not Shrimpo…"

"She thinks she's better than everyone else because she knows how to paint- newsflash, painting isn't that hard, I'm sure half the toons here in Gardenview can paint something decent if they just sit down." Her jaw rattled, teeth clicking against one another as the bones settled back into something halfway loosened. "…Sorry, you didn't sign up to hear me complain, she just…" A brief glare to the floor. "I wouldn't care if she only thought she was the best around, it's the fact she looks down on me- us, I hear the snide comments she makes."

You shifted against the wall, shoulder blades rolling against the cold surface.

"It's just the way she looks down her nose at the rest of us, you know? Gets under my skin, as much as I don't wanna admit it."

You didn't have the heart to tell her Brusha didn't have a nose. Or that Ribecca didn't have skin, either.

Actually… How did Ribecca's anatomy work exactly- she was all bone, as far as you knew… she had to have ichor somewhere, so-

"If it makes you feel any better I think you're a great artist- I don't really get Brusha's art… abstract isn't really my thing… but you-" Wool is bunched between your fingers once more. "I actually kind of really look up to you, like a lot- I think you're really cool,"

The glare that settled in Ribecca's eyes is doused in an instant. Her eyes were on you quicker than that.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Another roll of the wool. "I mean I don't know anything about clothing but I always love seeing you going around in new outfits- you always look so cool- I wouldn't mind having a sweater like yours actually… not that I don't like this one- I love it actually! Shelly did a great job-" Oh God stop talking please.

And once more, not to speak ill about a toon behind their back… Brusha often times left you feeling a little… unwell about yourself.

She didn't mean her comments like that, at least you liked to think she didn't.

Ribecca stared at you. For a long time. A really long time, just as she had when you were first arrived to the lobby not even half an hour ago now.

It wasn't intimate, and yet at the same time it was- you weren't sure how you were supposed to take it as her eyes raked you from head to toe. Intense and steady. Sharp but not judgemental like the stares Brusha would give you when you had the misfortune of being stuck in conversation with you.

"You know, if you want me to make you a sweater too I'm going to need your measurements," She pushed herself off of the wall and took a half step- then a full step around you, her eyes tracing the contours of your body. "I think I left my measuring tape back on the Halloween floor, we'd have to go down for it,"

And without a word her hand reached forward and settled on your shoulder, boney fingers sinking into soft yarn… and she pinched the stitch between her fingers- careful and mindful.

"I'm not much for knitting, sewing is mostly by thing-"

"I don't mind- I'd just be happy to spend the time with you actually- it feels like Halloween comes too fast… and not fast enough? I mean-" You suck the air in between your teeth and click your canines together. "It's kind of unfair that you- and the others too of course- are only around for about a month. I know… it can't be Halloween year round… but I miss you a lot.. and the others of course!"

Yeah that was a normal thing to say to someone you cared about a lot.

A really normal thing, actually.

"…Would it be weird to say I've thought about trying to break into the Halloween floors during the year to check in on you guys?"

Her fingers twitched against your shoulder. But they stayed.

And then she laughed- cut off and soft so long as you ignored the way the bones making her jaws clicked sharp against one another. You heard it too- the faint shake of her joints and the settling of her ribs as she composed herself into her usual casual demeanor- and for a moment you wanted nothing more than to burn those noises into your memory. For a toon solely comprised of bone she was so lively, even if her demeanor wasn't anywhere near as high energy as Gourdy's- or even Eclipse.

There was nothing more that you wanted than being able to keep her around year long, even if no matter how you worded those desires made you sound like some lovesick puppy waiting pitifully by the door- waiting.

"You're something else, you know that right?" Ribecca pat your shoulder before finally drawing her hand away and stuffing it away into her pocket- if you didn't know any better you'd have thought she pulled herself off of you a bit slow.

"I think I might have enough time to start putting something together before we gotta go for the year- it's not like we're instantly shipped away the moment it's November," Her hips shifted slightly- another creak of her bones.

You wondered, did they sound louder when she stretched? You knew your own joints popped when you were stuck in the same position for too long- you could sometimes feel the creak of your bones as you pushed them back into motion.

Maybe it was better for you to ask that another time, you'd already said more than your fair share of weirdness for the night- all in the span of seven minutes no less.

The seven minutes were up.

That much was clear when Dandy made his way into the room, he'd been there for a moment. The way his eyes burned into Ribecca's hand as she hid it away into her sweater. Hotter than anything you've ever seen- and for a moment, even if you thought it to be a little silly considering it was Dandy of all toons, he almost looked angry at the physical contact. The space where his nose would have been had be been human twitched for half a second before he cleared his throat.

"Not to disrupt you two love birds-"

Ribecca's bones rattled.

"-but time's up, and the people are getting antsy for their turn,"

Doubtful, it looked like just about everyone else looked indifferent about having to wait but you weren't about to call the flower out on it while the heat of his glare remained fresh in your mind.

"Come on, don't wanna keep them waiting," Ribecca jerked her head towards the door- and of course you followed close to her side while Dandy remained a pace behind the both of you- almost like a warden trailing behind their hold.

The walk wasn't quiet. About halfway down the hall Ribecca's sharp elbow nudged into your own. "I meant what I said about making you something. If I can't get it done before we're sent off to…" She paused. "retirement… I'll see if I can get it down to you by Christmas, might be able to catch Bobette on her way up to the lobby once it's her time,"

A nod from you. "Maybe I'll have her send something back to you,"

And she nodded back.

Another pause of silence.

"Do you… still want me to hunt down Shelly so you can ask her about the uh… knitting stuff?" You mumbled, once more your hands found themselves curled into the soft yarn of the sweater. Truly the fossil had outdone herself.

Ribecca's skull vibrated- actually vibrated- as she hummed. The sound rippling through the material… although now that you thought about it, it was probably very unlikely she was made out of bone matter. Hopefully. Maybe. Honestly you really didn't like thinking about toon anatomy- it was weird at best and made your head hurt at worst.

"Maybe we can rope her into joining us tomorrow if you don't mind a third wheel… for now I think I want to catch up with you." You nearly tripped over your own feet. "If you don't have anything planned for the night,"

"I don't mind- honestly I was already planning on lingering around the snack table before Yatta clears it."

"We can still linger,"

And you did, even if you had to stand on the opposite side of it as Soulvester to keep your conversation private from the knight as he returned to his post- noticeably without his sword this time. Weird, but neither of you made an effort to ask him about it as you chatted away as the game continued on.

Chapter Text

And with everyone's eyes on you, your hand is pressed into the burlap sack-

Your knuckles brush against something sharp- not roughly enough to slice the skin across, but it was enough to take you off guard. Upwards your fingers trail along the edge, before finding what you could only assume to be the handle; and then you started to tug it out.

It was a sword.

Pulling it out of the sack slowly enough to make sure it didn't damage the bag itself- and the other trinkets- was hard and awkward. But eventually you tugged the blade out and flashed it to the room of toons.

"…oh my god you're kidding me…" You heard Connie mumble a bit away somewhere near the edge of the crowd, hovered somewhere higher above everyone else's eyes.

"Oh!" Dandy's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon, because that's what it was. A toon prop, sure, but it wasn't often that you really see weapons in Gardenview. "Soulvester?"

It really didn't take long for the flower to pinpoint the owner, made even easier as the haunted suit of armor stepped forward to reclaim his blade. Heavy metal steps clanking through the music as he towered over you- and you thought Sprout was tall for a toon!-

"Ah! There you are!" Dandy watched quietly as you passed Soulvester's sword back to his hands, and just before he could dive into thanking you Dandy continued. "You've really aught to think twice about putting your sword into a bag- seems like an easy way for someone to get hurt don't you think?" The flowers face was unreadable as he dragged the burlap sack behind him, hands probably clasped neatly against his back.

"Ah, my sincerest apologies Sir Dandicus," Soulvester's voice warbled through his metal helmet, eyes fixed hard on the flower. For only showing a pair of eyes Soulvester looked rather serious.

Though to be fair, he always was serious a good majority of the time.

Dandy's grin stretched across his face, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. "No harm done! Just be mindful next time alright?" And then the flower looked at you, his expression softening. "You didn't cut yourself, did you?"

You really didn't like how this was getting dragged out in front of everyone.

"…I'm fine-" You caught Soulvester's eyes focusing on your hands from the corner of your eye. It hardly lasted for more than a second, his eyes flit forward straight ahead- his stance already taking on something… well, on guard. Braced and ready to strike should something leap out at someone- at you specifically, his shoulder already set in front of you to catch anything thrown.

Not that there was a threat, of course.

But the look in Soulvester's eye shifted as his gaze settled back on Dandy: an unspoken tension.

"You're stalling, Dandy," Vee not so quietly muttered to Dandy from her nearby position, leaving Gardenview's mascot gritting his teeth for half a second.

And then he perked right back up. "Oh! Right, right the game! Well, I'm sure I don't need to explain the rules," Dandy's eyes snapped back to Soulvester, "Right, Soulvester?"

But the haunted armor didn't get the chance to answer before Vee cleared her throat, already setting a timer on her screen. That got Dandy's attention.

"Hey! Hey hey the game is seven minutes! Seven minutes not eight- don't bump it up-"

The back of your knuckle lightly brushed against the cold exposed skin- could it be called skin since he was a ghost?- of Soulvester's arm.

"Come on, before we end up wasting our time-"

You hardly take a step towards the hall before Soulvester places himself ahead of you, "Allow me to lead, My Liege," and of course, his sword remained gripped in his fist.

You only purse your lips for a half second. "Go on ahead, then-"

And so the two of you leave Dandy to bicker with Vee, who was set on at minimum of giving the two of you an extra thirty seconds for the game.

"Hath thou found themselves partaking in this… game?" Soulvester stood within the doorway of the gift shop, and as much as you were the sure the open storage door was intended to be crept through… you really didn't feel like surrounding yourself in cold and no doubt a thick layer of dust- even from here you could see the mess on the floor. Poor Tisha would have a heart attack if she were to enter, you were sure of that.

So, instead you planted your palms on the counter and with some effort, hoisted yourself up. It was funny, you were sure they had seating in here during Christmas and Easter time, and yet for Halloween: nothing. Hopefully Gourdy wouldn't mind you making yourself comfortable on the counter. Especially if Vee was successful in granting the two of you extra time.

The climb was made even easier with Soulvester quickly rushing to your back and boosting your ankles until you were secured on top of the counter.

"Thank you-" As you made yourself comfortable and pondered his question. Honestly? This was the furthest you've ever gotten into the game: "I've partaken, but I can't say I've ever been drawn,"

Soulvester's armor creaked. It was in need of a greasing. So his visor wasn't freshly oiled. When it had fallen before the game.

Odd, you thought.

"I see," Soulvester nodded, the cold radiating off of his body through his armor settled against your knees. He was so close, you were sure if he breathed it'd brush against your leg. "Tell me, what doth this game entail?"

Ah.

Well.

"Well you see…" The inside of your cheek catches and sticks to the side of your teeth, the spit swallowed- it didn't help that the air was so dry too. "Now not all the time- but a lot of the time-" yeah a lot of the time, you think at least. "But usually the game uhm…" You trail off.

It really didn't help that Soulvester was adamant on maintaining eye contact with you the entire time. You almost wished his visor would slam down again, at least then you wouldn't have to deal with the staring.

"It's a kissing game, usually. Sometimes people… You know, shoot their shot? You know- like…"

"Professing?"

"Yeah! Yeah, that… sometimes that…" You trailed off. "…I mean, I think? It's not like we play it often-"

Soulvester's visor slammed down with a sharp clack, shutting his eyes out of sight… and if that wasn't enough, the hair of his… was it hair? You never actually gave it much thought but either way: it was flaring. Not crazily, just sole extra movement. It almost looked like fire.

"Ah… I… I see…" His voice echoed out through the visor's grate.

The two of you fell into silence for a few moments. The wind of the tunnel served as the only noise, and even that was distant. Creaking floorboards from the floor settling.

"..yeah…" You muttered.

The inside of your cheek peeled off of your teeth. It didn't even make a wet sound, only a vaguely stiff pop from the release.

"It doesn't have to be that you know, we can just talk if you'd-" Your hand raised to lazily wave in the air… but you choked on your words when Soulvester's gloved hands suddenly reached to grab it- gentle, cupped. The sword he carried had long been sheathed and strapped to his hip. His fingers wrapped on either side of your hand, hold tucking your own digits into your palm. It all happened so fast that you didn't even register that he had pushed his visor back up where it belonged.

"…like…" You trailed off.

Oh.

"My Liege," Soulvester started, his eyes meeting yours for just a second before-

Clank!

His visor slammed back down over his eyes- so much for propping it back up. Without giving it much of a second thought your second hand reached for the visor- fingers hooking through the grate, propping it back up.

And perhaps… you were silly for believing it, but you swear you felt the knight just barely jolt under your palm.

"…Sorry I should have asked before doing all that-" Your fingers dragged off of his helmet. "I didn't… make you uncomfortable, did I?"

Funny you were the one saying that, given that Soulvester still kept your hand held in his. His knuckles twitched against the curve of your hand.

"Nay, thou hath not-" You sometimes wondered how accurate his speak was, you admittedly weren't well versed in old English.

Was… it old English? You weren't even an expert in New English.

"Good.. good.. you uhm… you gonna keep holding my hand?" Your head tilted slightly to the side, and he squeezed your hand tighter. "Not that I'm upset- not to sound like I don't want you to stop. Not that I don't don't want you to stop- but-"

"My Liege,"

Soulvester's voice stopped your ramble in it's tracks.

And maybe it was the way the light from the doorway shined into the gift shop- the lights already shut off for the evening, neither of you really thought to switch the light on when it was only dim (and to be fair, Soulvester's glow had vaguely kicked in; staining the walls in a faint greenish cyan)- the way the colored string lights of the hallway lit him up from behind. Oranges and purples and greens mixing into his own glow. It looked like standing in a room with stained glass rather than standing alone with the knight… it was that mixed in with the way he stood in front of you- it reminded you of those storybook pictures Brightney sometimes read to the children who visited Gardenview: a knight posed in front of some poor princess that'd just been saved from a mean looking beast. Even down to the fact that you were elevated- it all felt too… cliche.

You almost expected Soulvester to launch into some confession.

"My Liege," Soulvester continued as he steeled himself. For a ghost he sure breathed a lot, his chest plate creaked and strained against his rib cage. "I cannot let this opportunity slip by, I pray that you will grant me grace for even attempting to believe myself as worthy," Another sighing deep breath as his eyes fluttered shut, but only for a moment. His eyes darted between your face and your conjoined hands. Just out of sight you heard his teeth click together beneath his helmet.

"Truth be told, I do not feel worthy to stand by your grace, and yet… I find myself enraptured,"

Whatever red had blossomed across your face was neutralized by the glow radiating off of Soulvester, the cyan consuming the other hues that slipped through the large windows of the gift shop.

If you looked flush, then Soulvester looked completely flustered.

The small blaze that his hair mimicked now flickered with life as it rolled over itself, locks of itself swiped and weaved through the air as his fingers twitched and tensed against your hand.

"My…" He trailed off. He hadn't planned for this, that much was for certain. He tried again. "I burn for you, My Liege,"

Okay well that wording was a little off but it got the point across.

"Soulvester…" You murmured quietly as his eyes finally settled back to your own.

"I do not expect you to offer your hand, for I have already come to terms with being denied-"

"Who said I'd reject you?"

It came out so fast that you hardly had the time to process the implications, and when you had… did you really want to backtrack?

You didn't.

"My..." Soulvester's voice caught in his throat. "My Liege,"

"You can call me by my name, you know,"

Boldly- and perhaps cruelly, teasingly- your free hand once more left the counter you sat on, and cupped where his cheek would have been under the helmet. Warmth blossomed from somewhere under the metal, slicing right through the chilling cold of his form.

And he did as you requested; your name stuttering and ripping itself out of his teeth like a muttered prayer.

"So you accept my offer?" It sounded so… plain compared to his typical speech.

Your hand slipped from his cheek, and tilted his chin upwards towards you. And then it happened: his fingers interlocked with yours.

And once more: perhaps it was cruel, maybe too bold. But he was right there, he was so close.

You leaned forward, using your fingers to keep his face steady: and planted a kiss on the smooth curve of his helmet.

The flame of his plume roared, and you swear for a second it licked the ceiling before it calmed itself-

"I do-"

"Oh!" And just like that the moment was shattered as Dandy stood in the wide doorway of the gift shop. For a flower who had no claim on either of you, the look on his face definitely made it feel like he had just discovered an affair.

Despite the sudden appearance of the company's mascot you didn't jump, actually you took your time pulling yourself away from the rapidly warming helmet Soulvester wore.

"Is the time already up?" You didn't comment on the glare the flower burned into the back of Soulvester's head. He didn't look at you once, only tugging his mouth into a tight line at your question.

"Yeah-" it sounded fake. "Vee was nice enough to give you both an extra two minutes since you know, shining armor over there is a bit of a slowpoke,"

You only hum absentmindedly only partially paying attention to what exactly Dandy had said. If Soulvester was paying attention he didn't immediately retaliate, likely too consumed in the previous moment to further divorce from it as it came to an end.

Dandy said something else, before turning on his heel and stalking off.

Then you both finally got a move on.

"I guess we better go on and get, I'm sure the next duo isn't going to like seeing us hanging around-"

Soulvester had offered his arm- no longer did he want to trail in front of you to guard you from harm.

No, from now on he'd walk in step with you; free hand rested on the handle of his sword ready to strike down any would be attacker, close enough to shield you.

At least, that's what he had said as he walked you back down to the party.

Chapter Text

And with everyone's eyes on you, your hand is pressed into the burlap sack-

Your fingers catch on something hard and cold- something sharp pricking the tip of your finger, and after a brief pause you wrapped your fingers around it… you could have picked something else, but curiosity got the better of you. Once the item was out in the open, you… actually weren't sure what you were looking.

A red crescent moon gem, encased in a sort of black holder.

"Uhh… wait…" You mumbled softly as you carefully raised the precious gem out for everyone to see, a yelp.

"Aha wait! That's mine! I… panicked!" Eclipse scrambled forward and gently took the item from your fingers, fluffy digits brushing against your knuckle before the heirloom was tucked away safely… somewhere. You.. actually weren't sure where it went. "I maaaaay have panicked and just put something in,"

You kind of wanted to ask her why a precious family heirloom was on her person during a party, as far as you could tell it wasn't a necklace or other piece of jewelry. A pendant for her cloak, maybe… but why didn't she reattach it…?

You'd file your questions away for later, but as the chatter picked up you were sure you'd forget.

"Ahh… I didn't spring the bag on you, did I…?" Dandy pulled the bag to his side, allowing it to slump against his leg. "I guess I got too excited, huh?" The flowers hand came to a rest on his hip.

Eclipse's tail swished behind her, "Oh, no! Not at all!" The speed of her tail picked up. "I was just excited to play- maybe I should have put on a bag of candy.. or maybe a cookie-"

"I think a cookie would be a little messy," Dandy's eyes landed on you for a brief moment, and he smiled. "Speaking of, Dewdrop- they're real nice," The end of his grin hitched higher as his voice dropped. "I can't hide it anymore- I asked Connie to snag a few for me while you were distracting Soulvester!" He snickered, proud of himself before flitting his eyes between you and Eclipse.

"Now…!" His eyes landed on you for a few seconds longer than they lingered on Eclipse- and then they bounced to Vee. "Veeeeee….?"

And so the banter between the two started- with Dandy growing more exasperated by the second, each time Vee refused to act as a timer for the game Dandy got closer to begging. You were sure he would if he didn't have a shred of pride.

"Come on- I'm sure they'll figure it out while we're playing the game," You mumbled under your breath, grinning softly as Eclipse's ear flicked at the sudden rush of air on the fur.

"You really think so?"

"Oh trust me, this isn't the worst it gets- you miss most of it during the year, they… really don't get along-" The two of you begin to make your way down the hall, and you do your best to ignore the chill from the train tunnel.

"Really?"

"Mhm,"

The storage room in the gift shop was wide open, and fittingly creepy. Pitch blackness filled the frame, and flecks of dust caught the colored lights from the large windows to the shop- bathing the flecks in hues of oranges and purples and greens. It almost looked pretty so long as you ignored the fact that the itch in your throat was inevitable the second you stepped into closet.

Maybe… it wouldn't be so bad…

…It was awful.

The millisecond the dry dust riddled air hit the back of your throat it took everything in you not to immediately start coughing- it didn't help at all that the air was cold, it only served to further dry the internals of your throat. A half cough barely stifles itself as you settle your back against the cold wall.

It was only seven minutes then you could handle it: it was just dry air, and if you really needed to… the punch looked quite appetizing so long as you ignored the floating toy eyes and teeth floating around in the nuclear green juice… actually. Okay so maybe it might have been a choking hazard waiting to happen, but-

Something wet pressed against your cheek-

"Oh goodness!" You nearly shrieked. Had you not been so sanitized and conditioned to keep a clean mouth you were sure you would let out a rather solid "f bomb" as the younger visitors of Gardenview called it whole "oohing" at their teenage siblings for letting such vulgarity slip.

Eclipse stood right there- the tip of her nose briefly brushing the curve of your cheek, leaving behind a cold damp line. Sharpened teeth hidden themselves back behind her furred lip as she gave you some space.

"Sorry! Sorry I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that…!" Eclipse whined- dog like. Very dog like as her tail guiltily fell back and pressed against the back of her leg.

Your fingers slide across the wall, nails digging into the old wallpaper. "It's fine- I shouldn't have zoned out like that- besides," Your spine flattened back to the wall. "Point of the game isn't to just stand around and disassociate,"

You stared at her… and…

"I didn't know you could glow in the dark," Your shoulder shifted around against the shoulder. Actually, Eclipse looked different in general. Larger, fluffier. Her eyes looked more… alert. Intense as they bore into your own. "How come I never noticed that? Can you control it? Any reason for that or did they just decide to make it so?"

"Oh!" Eclipse squeaked.

It seemed no one really… took the time to ask the details.

The brief shyness- though it felt more like sheepishness… which was funny in it's own way… was actually oddly endearing for a moment because she launched into a quick tirade with a wagging tail.

"I always glow, you know! Well.." Her pointed teeth clicked together, "well I guess now you do! Cool right?"

"Real cool… I lime the blue,"

And she beamed, and you swear her glow burned brighter for just a moment- though… you might have just imagined that part.

"I know right! I mean, everything looks blue and yellow and tan to me, but this is such a nice blue!"

…

"…You're color blind?"

"Yeah!" Eclipse wilted. "…I wish I could see the lights- everyone says they're so pretty…"

Were… The other animal toons color blind or was this something unique to Eclipse- or…

"But you know what? The moons white, so it'll always look pretty to me! All the better to howl at-" Soft padded paws squished against one another as Eclipse giggled against her paws. "I actually wouldn't mind showing you the moon some time, if you want!"

…

"You guys get to see the moon? Like the real thing?" As far as you knew, the only toon who's seen the outside world was Dyle… and it made sense for him, given the whole train trade thing. But…

Most of Gardenview was underground. What were the odds that there was a skylight somewhere- much less the Halloween floor- in Gardenview. Not even the lobby, the literal first floor, had a skylight.

"…weeeeee…." Eclipse's fingers spread before meeting the sides of one another. "Haaaave uh… hm.. well."

"Take your time,"

She made a sort of clicking sound with her teeth- like a child caught in an obvious lie. Her eyes glued to the floor, doglike. Like a scolded puppy who was found rummaging through a trash bin.

"We've got these cool Halloween movies- not too scary of course, but they've got the moon in them- real videos! Real pictures! Did you know it has a whole bunch of craters?"

You did.

"I didn't-" You didn't have the heart to stomp in her joy. You'd feel like a monster otherwise- and not the fun Halloween kind. "I guess that's what I get for being used to seeing Astro with a smooth face," a snicker.

"He is pretty smooth, isn't he?"

She nodded, sending her ears flopping. "And did you know the moon can actually change color? It's white most of the time sure, but it can be- and guess what!: it can be yellow OR blue! I can see it no problem!"

You nearly bring up blood moons but you bit your teeth.

"I'm a bit sad I can never see a blood moon.. you know," She pointed her the crescent moon on her forehead. "This looks like a dark brown to me-"

Ah.

"So like, do you howl at the TV? Sounds a bit funny, if you holiday toons do movie nights together,"

Eclipse snickered. "The others are used to it,"

"Yeah… I guess they would be,"

A drum of your fingers against the wall as the conversation died off. What… exactly was there to talk about? You admittedly didn't hang around much with Eclipse, much less the other holiday toons.

It didn't help either that she was still… new.

It wasn't her first year around Gardenview, it wasn't even her second.

Connie had left to join the year round cast of toons about four years ago, and a year after she dropped the name Boolynski in favor of her current name. In defense of the werewolf toon; she was busy readjusting and filling Connie's… Well the ghost didn't wear boots- let alone have feet.

Eclipse was busy filling Connie's metaphorical boots and adjusting to being in Gardenview, and like any real canine: was more than a little eager to meet everyone around them.

So really, what was shared between you that could be turned into a conversation?

The cookies.

You had said that you'd make some for her before the game had started.

"The cookies,"

The wolf instantly perked up at the mention of treats.

"…if I can't get my hands on carob before you guys gotta go, is there… any other flavor you wanna try? Snickerdoodle? Peanut butter? …Banana nut? Actually… wait I think I've got an iced chai recipe hidden away somewhere from Ginger-"

Eclipse just about jumped away from the wall, tail wagging and knocking down some dusty Shelly plushies, sending them to the ground without much of a glance.

"Chai sounds nice! I don't think I've ever had chai… or chai… Tea… but peanut butter also sounds good- so does snickerdoodle-" Her paws came to each side of her face and dragged down through the fur, paw stamping on the dusty floor in exasperation. "I feel like I haven't gotten to try your baking-"

As far as you were aware she'd yet to try it.

"I could make you a small batch of everything if you'd like, I wouldn't mind… don't think I have anything going on tomorrow anyway-" You nearly offered to let her help. You wouldn't have minded it, but…

You could already see the loose dark blue fur drifting through her sapphire glow. She really did shed a lot-

Eclipse's hands suddenly found themselves on your shoulders, before dragging you in a tight bear hug that could have given Goob a run for his money.

"AWWWW! Thank you thank you thank-" The werewolf bounced on her paws- before slowing to a stop as the door swung open.

"We were trying to knock-" Dandy stood within the doorway, eyes locked onto Eclipse's paws on your shoulders. "Well you two certainly got friendly," He smiled quirked up on one side, as he stepped aside enough to let you guys exit the storage closet- you did after a minute, taking some extra time to brush off the shed fur. You'd… definitely need to run a lint roller on the sweater once you got back to your room…

"How about you stop by the kitchen tomorrow morning? I can show you how to make all the doughs- so you can make some on your own during the year," You dropped your voice low as you trailed behind the flower.

"You'd really do that?" Her eyes fixed into yours, wide and gleaming- a little glossy as they tried to readjust to the far brighter light in the hall. You were sure your own eyes were the same. "Just for me?"

"Sure! Why not, we're friends, aren't we?" And you lifted your hand.. a handshake or fist bump, whichever the werewolf decided.

The back of her paw made contact with your hand.

"Best friends!"

"Best friends," You smiled.