⟢ Sugar & Spice, Love & Hate
⋆˚࿔ Date Everything! Fanfiction
Unpacking isn’t too terribly taxing on your body. While the constant kneeling and standing of finding places for things begins to get annoying over time, you’re able to begin to relax as music begins to seep through the room stemming from the dining area while you’re kneeled and looking through your items. Sure enough, you feel the presence of a familiar girl crouching down beside you.
”How’s the unpackin’ goin’, sugar?” Rainey hums, letting you raise your head to meet her familiar gaze and grin right back at her in a more…tired manner.
”Not too bad. Just a bit tired, but the music is definitely helping,” you say with a small chuckle. Despite the music being slightly sped up and occasionally sputtering and slowing down, it’s still a nice noise presence through the house, “thanks, by the way.”
Rainey grins with a small “mhm”, standing up straight alongside you as you stand up holding a small framed picture in your hands. You grin, holding it to the side a bit for Rainey to see, “this is me and my old roommates. I lived with them through the last few years of college. We took this photo and printed it out as a goodbye so that I could remember them when I moved here.”
Rainey’s eyebrows raise a little as she looks over the photo. Her eyes flick from person to person before meeting your eyes.
”That’s a lot of people to be in one apartment,” she says and you laugh in response.
”Not like this house is any better,” you snort in response, looking around the living room to find a place to set the photograph. You have a point. This house is much…much worse than your apartment before. Oddly in a good way.
Just as you’re looking for a spot to set it up by the television, a hand covers yours and the photograph is gently taken from your grip.
”You look so tired in this photo,” a familiar smooth voice hits your ears as you turn to see Lady Memoria admiring the photo. A soft smile is on her lips as she admires the frame and photograph, “you were quite tired, weren’t you?”
You hesitate before offering a weak smile and nodding. You can’t hide a thing from Memoria. Somehow, she already knows all the memories tied to your items just from being in their presence.
”Yeah…we took this after a long day of packing. That and they can be…a lot,” you pause and shrug, “I loved my roommates, but I was definitely excited to have a place to myself.”
Memoria chuckles softly and hands the photograph back to you, her eyes gazing to a spot to place it and pointing it out to you, “not that you really get to have this place to yourself.”
You chuckle as you walk to the spot she pointed out, placing the photograph on the small table beside a corner of the television, “oddly, this place has been much better than my old apartment already.”
You turn and see Memoria already admiring what’s left to unpack. You watch as she goes through your items, humming in a pleased manner as she takes a trip down memory lane…your memory lane. You focus on Rainey who’s also pulling items out and looking them over. Rainey’s eyes drift back to the box and she gasps, setting what she was holding down carefully before quickly sticking her hands back in the box. She pulls out vinyls you had packed carefully in their own box, looking them over.
”New music!” Rainey squeals, jumping around with the first vinyl she pulled out. You chuckle and walk over to stand at her side, looking at the vinyl she’s holding.
”Flower Boy. I got it at a cool vinyl shop in my college-town,” you say as you admire the cover, “it’s like a good…R&B.”
Rainey slowly nods, her eyes drifting back to the vinyl. She hands it to you and begins quickly sifting through the others. You have a good mix of oldies, pop, rap, and all sorts of vinyls you had kept in your room at your old place. One of your roommates used to have a record player in the living room space of the apartment and you always played your vinyls on that. You had expected to just have your vinyls as a memory, but you were quickly excited again to find out there was a record player in your new home.
”Ah! Lesley Gore!” Rainey gasps, admiring the vinyl in her hands, “boy, doesn’t she make lovely music!”
You were happy seeing Rainey so excited. You’re glad you have something to keep her entertained while you and Memoria go through your things. With the help from Memoria and Rainey, as well as the accompaniment of Rainey learning more about the new vinyls you’ve brought her to enjoy, you’re able to unpack the boxes left in your living room with much more enjoyment than you had originally intended. Along the way, Memoria and you gushed over memories from certain items, Rainey laughing along as you two told her of your stories over each little piece of decor you brought. It feels nice having someone who knows you so intimately as Memoria does. It makes each memory more fun to recall.
The two women are at your side as you finish breaking down the last box, folding them in a stack and sliding them against the wall.
”That’s a problem for tomorrow me,” you sigh, standing up and brushing your hands together. You turn to Memoria and Rainey with a fond smile, "Thanks for the help, you guys. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”
Rainey looks overjoyed at your gratitude and Memoria only gives you a nod with a gentle smile.
”Anytime. It is all a part of me, after all,” Memoria hums as she admires the decor you’ve put up around the room, “it makes the house feel more like…you.”
”And the new records are just wonderful! I’ll have to give everythin’ a good listen,” Rainey says, tapping her chin with a bright smile.
You walk over to the couch and slump down onto it, sighing softly as your head falls back and thunks gently against the back of the couch.
”I could use a nap…I hope Timothy doesn’t try to kill me for that…”
As you finish speaking, you feel an arm slip under your shoulders, pushing you up a bit. You’re pulled into someone’s side, your body hitting the large, warm squishiness of someone’s chest. You blink a bit and look up to see a man lounging beside you, a lazy grin on his face.
”I won’t let him, buddy. Don’t you worry about a thing…” the man sighs lazily. You lean back a bit to take the man in. He’s a large Hawaiian man with short curly hair and a goatee on his chin stretching to his upper lip. He’s wearing a Hawaiian-designed, cushiony open-chested shirt and has a layered necklace looking similar to the coils of your couch’s support. His sleeves and shoulder pads look like the wooden design of the couch’s legs, small pillows by his neck that he’s using to his advantage in his relaxation. The skirt-like drape over his legs has the same design as the wood on his sleeves, small coins and dollar bills slipped into the hemming of the skirt. You’re tempted to ask if he’s using that cash…
“Hello there, big guy,” you say with a soft smile, leaning into him once again, “what’s your name?”
The man peeks an eye open to look at you, almost hesitating. He doesn’t seem one for small talk.
”Koa,” he responds with a small smile and you nod.
”Nice to meet you, Koa,” is all you offer back, letting him get back to relaxing. Your eyes drift back to Memoria and Rainey who are watching, Memoria grinning in amusement and Rainey looking between you and Koa. She then lets her eyes settle on you as she notices you motioning her over. Rainey giggles and hurries over, plopping down beside you as best she can. Rainey then quickly opts to scoot onto your lap, making room for Memoria to walk over and slip in between you and the couch’s arm. It’s tight and cozy, but relaxing. Rainey shifts a bit before resting back against you. Her head falls back onto your shoulder as she closes her eyes. Memoria rests a hand over yours, squeezing it gently and resting her head against Rainey’s. Koa shifts his arm to rest on the back of the couch to make room for Memoria in the tight bundle. It’s…a very relaxing position. Rainey wasn’t lying when she said it would be easier to find peace around the house than you thought.
There’s nothing but the sound of gentle breathing, your head shifting up and down slowly with Koa’s slow breathing. While the room is full of contentment, Koa seems the most pleased out of everyone. It’s somewhat surprising considering he seems like the kind of guy who’s napping…all the time.
You open your eyes a little to gaze at the side of Koa’s soft features nestled gently into a pillow on his opposite shoulder. You then turn your gaze to admire Rainey’s face. She looks so relaxed in your lap, a warm smile on her face as she settles into your support. You can’t quite see Memoria’s face from your position, but you can tell she’s merely resting in the peace of everyone’s presence, her soft traces over your knuckles with her thumb making you very aware that she’s quite awake.
Before you can close your eyes again, a thick, knitted blanket is tossed over you and Rainey’s figure, making Rainey open her eyes with a soft huff of surprise and you following suit. You look to the blanket, then trace your eyes to the hand settling a corner by your shoulder, and finally tilt your head back to gaze at the man standing over you.
He’s upside down from your vision, sure, but you easily make out white fluffy hair that is brushed over to one half of his face. He has soft features and tan skin. He’s focused on making sure the blanket is properly draped over you and Rainey, though as you both suddenly raise your heads to look at him upside down, he blinks in surprise and blushes a bit. He offers a sheepish smile and a gentle laugh is withdrawn from his lips.
“Sorry!” he exclaims gently, “I didn’t mean to disturb the peace. Just thought you guys could use some more comfort on this cramped couch.”
He has a slight hispanic accent and his voice is very warm and inviting. He reminds you a lot of a sunrise…though you aren’t sure why. Maybe it’s the way he talks or the smile on his face, but it’s all very relaxing. He seems like he’s the blanket, after all.
”You’re good,” you chuckle softly, shifting to relax more under the blanket. One of your hands settles on Rainey’s waist to help adjust her on your lap. As you do so, the man moves around to the side of the couch where Koa is resting. He leans against the arm of the couch, having moved so that you didn’t get lightheaded from staring up at him for so long. With a better view on the man, you can really take in his outfit. It is quite affirming to your suspicions of him being the blanket you had seen draped over one of the arm chairs. He’s wearing a very plush, blanket-cardigan over his clothes which were also made of very thick, puffy, blanket materials. His top was white and his pants were a dark blue, a more thin, knitted-material blanket with tasseled ends wrapped around his waist. Cuddling with him would change your life, that much you can tell.
”I’m Mateo. Mateo Manta,” he introduces himself and you nod towards him.
”It’s very nice to meet you, Mateo. Thanks for the blanket,” you say, looking at the blanket he’d offered you. It was the very being of his existence which was…somewhat unnerving that it was draped over you, but the entire idea of the manifestations separation from their non-sentient objects was too confusing to remember. You just accept its existence and try to move on.
”Of course. I felt a little useless just sitting there watching you guys relax instead of helping,” Mateo says, rubbing the back of his neck, “sorry for interrupting the peace, Koa.”
Koa only grins with his eyes closed, shaking his head.
”Not at all. The addition of a blanket only makes the nap better,” Kao hums out, sinking back into the couch once more. Mateo laughs softly and nods in agreement.
”It sure does,” he says before focusing his attention back on you, “I saw you guys unpacking! I love what you did with the decorations.”
Mateo turns and gives himself a moment to look around, seeing the things you added around the living room and even over in the dining area and extra lounge space on the other side of the fireplace. You watched him do so from where you sat, Rainey and Memoria having also raised their heads to give Mateo their attention while Koa is mostly knocked out on the couch.
”I hope you’re a pet person, Y/N,” Memoria hums with a small grin as she looks to you past where Rainey's head is resting, “Mateo’s got quite the collection.”
Mateo turns with raised eyebrows as his love for animals is suddenly brought into play, but his look of surprise turns to a bashful grin as he rubs the back of his neck.
”Ah, yeah…I have a lot of rescues I take care of. They're all quite the hassle, but it’s worth it to know they’re under good care.”
Your eyes light up a bit. Animals? Pets? You love animals! You were thinking during your drive over to the house of maybe getting a dog or a cat of sorts, but it seems Mateo’s got that figured out for you.
”That’s so cool,” you say,” and…really sweet. I’m sure rescues are a lot of work.”
Mateo eagerly nods, letting out a soft huff of air.
”They sure are. It takes a lot out of me, but they really are sweethearts.”
”Can I meet one?” You ask eagerly and Mateo seems excited by your enthusiasm.
”Of course! Oh, let me go grab Sprite,” as Mateo speaks, he approaches you and suddenly disappears into the blanket, turning into thin air. You pause, looking between the blanket and Rainey. Rainey only grins and nudges you.
”You’ll get used to it,” she giggles. Before you can say much else, Mateo reappears in front of the couch. In his arms he cradles a small black kitten made of wires and cords, the kitten’s collar made of more colorful wire. The kitten’s head quickly snapped to the side to look at the four of you on the couch, the kitten’s plug-like tail swishing slowly in curiosity.
”This is Sprite. She’s a…spitfire at times, but she’s honestly really sweet,” Mateo says, but before he can even finish warning or reassuring you, you’ve already shifted Rainey onto Koa’s lap, making Kao open an eye in minor confusion and making Rainey let out a soft “oomf!” as she hit Koa’s lap. You stand and carefully approach Mateo, holding a hand out for Sprite to sniff.
Initially, Sprite leans away, her ears curling back with a sense of hostility. Her eyes fix on your hand for a long time and Mateo pats the top of her head gently.
”It’s alright, Sprite. She’s nice…friendly…” he reassures Sprite gently, leaning his upper body closer towards you to nudge Sprite closer. Your finger gently bumps Sprite’s nose and she recoils a little before nudging closer. She nudges her head under your hand and you follow the motion, gently rubbing over her head. Your heart melts as Sprite purrs, allowing your hand to brush over her cords. Mateo seems quite pleased, as well. A smile spreads across his face as he watches your hand.
”Good girl,” he praises Sprite before looking up at you, “she likes you! That’s…honestly very impressive. Sprite’s always been very hostile to new people.”
Your smile grows as you hear that, taking your chances as you scoop Sprite up into your arms. She allows you to do so, curling up against your chest and mewling in contentment. Her plug-like tail swishes, gently thumping against your chest. It makes your heart melt how adorable this little cord-cat is. Mateo only seems delighted that you two are getting along. If anything, he’s looking at the two of you with nothing but pure adoration in his eyes. You don’t quite realize it, but seeing you handle the little inanimal with such care and grace as well as the inanimal’s clear liking to you, it really is doing something to his heart.
Before you can say much else or play with the little kitten any more, another cat appearing at your side seems to be much less…enjoying the scenery.
”Ahem,” Timothy huffs, making you jump a bit and look to your side. You blink, taken aback by his sudden presence.
”I sure hope you’re keeping a keen eye on the time. Last time I checked, you should be getting a sort of dinner in your system by now, followed by working alongside Mitchell Linn to make a better grocery list to restock the little amount of food you brought with you to this household.” Timothy is scolding you like you’re a child and you can’t help but shrink under his scolding a little. You hand the cat back to Mateo who’s smiling sheepishly.
”Sorry…didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”
“No, no,” you sigh, shaking your head, “I should have been watching the time.”
You turn your attention back to Timothy whose tail is swishing in annoyance at your unintentional disrespect of the schedule.
”I will get to it, Timothy. Thank you for keeping me on track.”
Timothy seems to soften under your words, but he straightens himself up and huffs, looking away and sticking his nose up as to try and regain some semblance of power.
As you finish speaking with Mitchell Linn and Stefan about lunch, getting reassurance that you can sit back and relax while they figure out something for you to eat with as little as you have left, you allow yourself to move to sitting in the small dining room rather than in the kitchen. You don't feel like being in the middle of the working space if Stefan gets…upset. “If” is an understatement in itself.
You slump down in one of the seats and lean forward, closing your eyes for a moment as you try to relax with some momentary peace and quiet, you’re quickly reminded you can’t get a second of that in a house like yours.
”Falling asleep already, I see. It’s only dinner time and you already look ready to hit your head on the table,” a rather posh voice laughs, sounding as if they’re sitting on the table’s edge. When you peek your eyes open, you see that they indeed are.
Sitting with his legs swung over the edge of the table, one crossed over the other, is a man who looks as if he stepped directly out of a 17th century ball. His white hair is done up in elegant curls like a powdered wig, the curls hanging down over his shoulders and parted in the middle on his forehead. He is wearing a silver overcoat and darker vest, the design of his vest and pants adorned with what look like silver, candle wax droplets. He has cream-colored ruffles on his collar and sleeves. His pants puff up and cut off right below his knee, his stockings cream-colored, as well. His shoes are quite stunning and elegant looking, contrasting the odd shoes you’ve seen around the house so far. He has quite thin, sharp features, a much more hooked nose and a lovely little beauty mark below one side of his mouth.
”Wow…” you breathe out and he only grins, shimmying his shoulders a bit as if delighted by your response.
”Indeed. I do take your breath away quite quickly, don’t I?” The man sighs wistfully with a cocky smile, “I am quite curious as to what took you so long to finally come speak to me.”
You sit up a bit straighter, leaning back in your seat to face him better.
”I’m not really on an agenda of who to meet. I’m just kind of…running into people who are willing to talk,” you say with a shrug. The man hums and looks you up and down.
”Seems you are quite adored around here, then, considering it took you this long to finally have a break,” he says with a cocked eyebrow, “you have many fans, I presume.”
You snort softly in laughter and shrug.
”Oh…how humble~” he purrs and you only laugh again.
”Maybe it’s because I pay for everything around here and run the place,” you say with a shrug. The man only kicks his feet a little and hums in thought.
”Yes, I suppose that’s true…” he says before grinning and tapping his chin, “oh! But I would have assumed at least a few more people would be willing to hold you accountable for what happened to Skylar. She’s a friend to all, after all.”
You hesitate and feel your heart sink a bit. You look away and rub the back of your neck a little, feeling rather awkward now.
”Yeah…I’m really sorry about that. It was a complete accident,” you say, but the man only nods quickly.
”Of course! Of course!” He says with a hand over his heart, “self defense, wasn’t it? Though, I find it baffling to hear such an injury was made in self defense against Skylar Specs.”
He laughs and shakes his head. You cross your arms a bit and slump into your chair, a small pout tugging at the bottom of your lips a bit. This guy is really rubbing it in, isn’t he?
”I’m already well aware of what I did, alright? I feel shit enough as it is…” you say with a small sigh. The man tilts his head to the side a bit and contemplates leaving you be. He then relents and mimes zipping his mouth shut with a sly grin. You see the motion and sigh softly once more, nodding, “thank you.”
”That shock has shaken you up quite a bit, hm? Have you felt any differently since it happened?” The man asks, leaning forward a bit with great interest, but you only disappoint him with a shrug.
”Not…really? Aside from being able to see and talk to the objects around my house, as I am right now, I feel fine,” you say. The man leans back once more and hums.
”Ah, yes, you can talk to everyone now without the now broken dateviators and without limit,” he pauses and grins, “now, isn’t that just intriguing? It seems as if you’ve broken the rules, my dear.”
You shrug a little once more and lean your chair back a little.
”Yeah, well, I don’t really understand the “rules”, anyway,” you say and he only scoots a little closer on the table.
”Are you not scared at all? You seem rather fine with this new way of being.”
You can’t tell if he’s trying to get under your skin and freak you out or if he’s just being playful and coy. The excited grin on his face tells you he’s just looking for something new to toy around with, though it doesn’t exactly seem like malice. It’s more looking like he’s just a…dick.
”Not really…” you say slowly, “I mean, at least I’m not entirely alone in this whole new experience.”
He leans away again and nods.
”I suppose that is true,” he then grins, “you’ve already gotten quite familiar with a lot of the beings around here. I hear you’ve especially gotten quite close with the dear shower in your bathroom today~”
You feel yourself freeze up a bit, taken aback by his words. You swear your face pales, discomfort bubbling up in your system. How the hell does he know that? He wasn’t there, was he? No, if he were out of his place on this table, you would have seen him. The only ones who could have seen were those in the bathroom within their objects. Did someone tell him? It couldn’t have been Amir. He was so gentle with you this morning. Jean Loo? Jean Loo said he hadn’t cared one bit about what you two did. What about the other objects in the bathroom? You haven’t spoken to them all just yet. Maybe they let it spill. Or…did Johnny? No, Johnny wouldn’t do such a sleazy thing!
Your mind races a bit as you mull over the possibility of who could have spread gossip to this coy man sitting beside you and he only seems delighted by your minor panic.
“Oh? So, it’s true, is it?” He says with a grin, “how scandalous!”
You quickly stand up from your seat, pushing it out behind you. He falls silent, blinking a bit at your sudden rise. You move away and hold your hands up slightly in defense.
”You know what? I’m not hungry anymore.” You say firmly as you turn on your heel and leave the dining room without another word, heading towards the stairs. Mitchell Linn and Stefan seem to have noticed your quick exit from the dining room and you hear Mitchell Linn call after you a few times, though you ignore him and head straight upstairs, your face burning with humiliation.
Mitchell Linn pauses by the entrance to the kitchen and he casts a glare at the man who’s sat on the table, looking minorly stunned by your abrupt exit.
”Scandalabra…” Mitchell Linn grumbles and the man sheepishly grins in response.
Scandalabra, a name that catches your ear before you step into your room and shut the door behind you. Scandalabra? What a fitting name.
You had spent a good amount of time laying in your bed, your face covered by your hands, blanket, or pillow. The rotation was constant seeing as you feel quite restless. You’re just swarmed with embarrassment. How long would it be before the word of you and Johnny’s time in the shower spread across the whole damn house? Especially with someone like Scandalabra, you’re sure everyone would find out about it. God, it’s embarrassing. It burns at your face and heats through your body with hot shame. All the lovely people you’ve spoken to so far, many of which you’ve found quite attractive, would know the kind of person you are. Does it make you unfaithful? Being interested in far more than one person? You should have kept your hands to yourself, or rather asked Johnny to keep his to himself, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy it. Johnny is such a handsome man and was so gentle with you. Would he be upset with you that the word’s going around? You don’t know why, but you can’t help but blame yourself for all of this happening. You roll around, restless, until a roll to one side makes you bump into a warm body resting right beside yours.
”You seem quite miserable,” you hear Betty say gently and you look up to meet her gaze. It’s softened on you, a look of worry across her soft features. You sigh a bit, relaxing under such a gaze. It makes you feel safe.
”I am…” you groan, your head finally flopping back on a pillow, your face still burning with shame, “I’m embarrassed."
”About you and Johnny in the shower?”
Oh God, of course. She knew, too.
”Does everyone know?” you sigh and Betty shrugs.
”About…I mean, word spreads fast around here. Jean Loo was complaining about it and it must’ve just spread around from him. Once it hits Scanadalabra, though, it’s most definitely getting to everyone.”
Jesus Christ, it happened that morning. That morning and almost the whole house knows?
”I feel like a whore…” you admit and Betty huffs softly in laughter.
”If that’s so, you’re talking to the perfect person,” she drawls softly, tilting her head to the side, “you know…no one else thinks that but you.”
You hesitate and look to her, raising an eyebrow.
”Dead serious,” she says, “I’m sure if you had a chance to talk to Skylar, you’d know the whole point of the dateviators being brought to your hands is so that you can make connections with everyone in this house…everyone you’d like to, of course.”
You pause, letting her words hit you as you lay there and stare at her for a long moment. You finally speak up, your flush fading away a little, yet still very much so prominent.
”Everyone’s chill with it,” Betty says with a grin, “as in no one minds sharing you at all. If anything, it’s reassurance enough you clearly have the ability to admire some of us. The last homeowner ran for the hills the second they saw Skylar and Dorian.”
You snort softly. You can’t tease too much considering your predicament with Skylar, but you do find the idea that the house owner really sold you the house that quickly without a care of what they left behind because they wanted to stay away from it as soon as possible.
You’re silent for a long while as you think over Betty’s words. You then anxiously pick at the collar of your t-shirt as you think of what to say.
”…so…no one’s disgusted by me?”
Betty snorts and laughs, shaking her head.
”Disgusted? Oh, darling…” she says with a sultry coo, “I can say with almost complete certainty that no one is disgusted by you…definitely not me.”
You see that lustful gaze in her eyes as she stares at you, making you blush and look away. You feel a whole lot better now, even if minorly still embarrassed. Before you can argue or whine further about your humiliation, Betty leans forward and places a soft kiss on your cheek. You melt into it without a word, allowing her to press a few more on your skin before pulling away, her hand sliding into place along one side of your face. She brushes her thumb over your cheek, still smiling softly at you.
”No one is mad at you, alright? Don’t worry too much about it.” Betty reassures you. You nod, unable to argue with such a strong defense case…those kisses left you as melted butter in your bed.
”Alright…” you breathe out, sinking into your mattress as Betty continues to gently caress your face, admiring your features as she stays at your side as support.
”Now…” Betty sighs wistfully, “as much as I would love to have you wrapped up in my arms all day, I’m sure you have food waiting downstairs for you that Stefan and Mitchell would be very upset about if it went to waste…”
You chuckle softly and nod, pushing to sit up.
”You’re right,” you sigh before smiling at Betty, “thanks, Betty. You’re really the best person I could ever have as my bed.”
Betty grins and chuckles softly, tilting her head to the side.
”Happy to be of comfort to you, sweetheart.”
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