Work Hard, Play Harder

“Oh?” 

Skye came to a stop, a purple and gold notice catching his eye on his way to work. He stepped closer, holding the notice still as he gave it a quick scan before taking a picture of it and continuing on their way. 

~ Time Skip ~

“Good morning Carmen,” Skye smiled sweetly up at their Sloth coworker. “Look at what I saw on my way to work this morning!” He held his phone out towards the other doll, a few of his Flutter Motes landing gently on the Sloth’s clothing. “They’re looking for servers for Angora’s masquerade this weekend; the shift is only a few hours then you get to spend the rest of the night as a guest!” 

Skye didn’t realize he was excited until he heard the tip tap of his hooves clicking against the floor as he shifted from hoof to hoof, suddenly nervous that Carmen would say he wasn’t interested. With Skye’s anxiety, there would be no way he could handle going alone… He patiently waited for what the other bun might say. 

~~~

Another day at the coffee shop, Carmen took inventory of what they had on hand, and what was running out.  “Looks like we’re low on cold brew, I’ll start a new batch soon.” The sloth talks to himself.  He’s distracted from his task hearing the door open, and the sound of Skye’s hoofs against the floor. 

“Morning, Skye.” Carmen replies, beaming a smile in return to his coworker. He listens as Skye talks about the Gala, he could tell by Skye’s body language that the other wanted to go, yet they haven't asked yet. “Well, that doesn’t sound all that bad.” The barista replies as a finger goes up to tap his check in thought.  

“You wanna go, yeah?” Carmen asks, “I’m sure it’ll be fun.” In truth he wasn’t all too interested in big events, but Skye didn’t have to know that.

~~~

“I’ve never been to a big party like that, I think it’d be nice…” Sky looked back down at their phone and read the ad again. “Only if you want to go, though, I know you’re probably pretty busy with work and music and - and everything else…” Skye really wasn’t sure what he meant by that… but if he thought Carmen was cool, surely other buns did too, right? 

“I - I’d just feel a lot safer with a friend at my side…” 

Skye peeked up at Carmen through his bangs, blushing a little out of embarrassment of his own social anxiety. 

~~~

“I could always use the extra money, I’m sure angora pays well.” Carmen comments off-handedly.  He could tell that Skye’s anxiety was through the roof with the other bun seeming to struggle with his words.  “Text me the details and I’ll apply and see you there.” As Carmen speaks, his hand reaches out, gently patting the other bun’s head before he turns back to his task at work.  The two still had to get through their shift.

Looks like the pair were going to attend the Gala as servers, Carmen was a bit concerned about all the drunk people that would probably be there, making a mental note to keep a close eye on Skye and make sure nobody gave the other too many issues. 

~ Time Skip ~ 

Skye looked down at the outfit he’d chosen, feeling a little self-conscious. Sure, the ad hadn’t mentioned any sort of dress code, per say, but… Well, Skye was going to be nervous regardless, weren’t they? A dark blue button-up tucked into a long skirt, and collar chains with small blue jewels that matched his Flutter Motes… It would have to do. 

He tied the small half-apron around his waist and grabbed the tray he’d come in here for in the first place, and left the storage room. I hope Carmen is here by now… 

~~~

Carmen was already at the event, hair slicked back and in a simple tuxedo to blend in with some other service workers.  Even while he maneuvered through the venue his eyes were always scanning the crowd, paying close attention to those who were also holding trays. Skye wouldn’t be too hard to spot luckily, due to the fluttering light bugs around his form, it was just a matter of finding the area he was in.  

Diligent to his work, he couldn’t only look for Skye, his head on a swivel as he served the guest who would flag him over.  After serving a particularly drunk guest, smiling throughout the whole interaction he catches a fluttering butterfly out of the corner of his eyes.  A quick glance confirms his suspicions, he’d found Skye.  

Carmen is able to pull himself from the unwanted interaction, walking over to Skye as he holds his tray above anyone who may walk nearby, “There you are.” Carmen calls out loud enough for Skye to hear, greeting the other with a grin on his face. “Hope no one has given you too much trouble so far.” 

~~~ 

Skye immediately relaxed - visibly, he knew - upon hearing Carmen’s voice. He smiled up at the other doll, then shook his head. “No, I haven’t been here long.” They held their tray out as a guest approached, politely offering the collection of small treats they’d been given to carry around. 

“The decor is so pretty, the purple and golds look really good together.” Skye could feel their tail wagging a little and quickly shut it down, not wanting to hit anybody. “I wonder if all of Angora’s parties are this fancy.” He was sure his eyes were wide as he looked around, wanting to take it all in just in case this was the only time he’d ever be to this kind of party. 

He looked back at Carmen, somehow just realizing - “You’re in a suit! And your hair! You look so different with it slicked back like that.” Should I have done that? I just kinda… left mine the way it usually is… It’ll be fine, buns with Angora fur know how hard it is to style. “You look handsome.” They finished with a soft smile. 

~~~

Carmen lets out a nervous laugh, a free hand scratching his cheek as Skye pointed out his appearance.  “Yeah, when I saw the venue I was worried about how to look.  So I tried to mimic some others.  I’ve never been to something like this either, it’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it?” Carmen comments, offering his tray to those who walked by as he spoke.  

“It’s weird seeing you out of work clothes- not that you look bad or anything.” Carmen fumbles over his words, realizing it sounded almost like an insult.  “Just that this isn’t the environment we’re normally in I- you look nice too.” He finalizes, letting out a small laugh.  He figures they should be walking around offering drinks and what else to the guests of the Gala...but if they needed something so bad, they could just approach the pair.  

~~~ 

Skye giggled softly, feeling his cheeks heat a little from the compliment. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure it would be enough, so it’s nice to hear you say that.” 

Whether or not Carmen’s question had been hypothetical or not, Skye made sure to go back and answer it. “Definitely overwhelming, but not so much that I regret coming.” 

He nodded and smiled at a guest, pointing out a tiny fruit tart that he’d been told to recommend. When they left, he continued. “I can’t imagine being one of those buns though.” They tipped their head to gesture at a pack of socialites, all dressed to the nines. “Like, imagine knowing that many people, and talking to even more people, and pretending to like even more people…” He couldn’t help but shudder. “I couldn’t do it.” 

~~~

Carmen’s eyes move over to look at the group Skye had been referencing.  The coffee bun couldn’t wrap his head around any of it, having never known luxury.  He briefly wonders if these people even actually care about each other or if it’s some false pretense they kept up for show, he knew things could be so fake in the higher society at times.  “I don’t think I could either.” His tone is a bit...somber, but Carmen is quick to catch himself, turning back to Skye with his familiar smile, “Sounds way too exhausting.  I already go insane with the customers sometimes.” He laughs.

There’s a pause as something comes to mind, brought on as another guest pulls off some food from their tray, it’d be awhile til they could get off and enjoy the party themselves.... “Skye...” Carmen starts, eyes peering down at the shorter bun, “Did you eat before your shift started?” Carmen was always one to check in with others, almost mothering them. 

~~~

Skye was about to question the small shift in tone they’d noticed in Carmen’s voice, but the next question the taller doll asked had him stiffening, bright blue eyes darting away. 

“Umm… A little…” 

If a glass of water counted. Which, Skye knew, did not count in Carmen’s eyes.

“I was too nervous to have dinner,” he admitted. “And I figured forcing it would be bad too… So I’ll just have some of those teeny-tiny sandwiches later.” Skye had to shoo his Flutter Motes as they landed on his tray amongst the snacks he carried, betraying his desire to sneak a bite.

~~~

Carmen’s chest heaves as the man lets out a sigh.  Skye’s reaction was telling enough, and it wasn’t going to fly.  ‘Later’ could be quite some time from now, and Carmen would rather Skye not be weak or dizzy in the middle of their shift. “Skye...” Carmen’s voice drops low, eyebrows creasing with concern.  

Carmen balances his tray on one hand, used to carrying things on trays from his job.  Reaching over with a free hand he grabs one of the snacks off Skye’s tray, moving the snack over to Skye's mouth before putting it between the other server’s lips.  Releasing the food, his hand moves over to take the tray from Skye’s hands so the other could focus on eating.  If anyone took issue with Skye eating, they could answer to the taller bun.  “Eat.” 

~~~

Skye squeaked softly in surprise, the sound muffled slightly by the food that had been tucked into their mouth. Skye reached up to hold onto the h’ordeuvre properly, looking up at Carmen anxiously. “I’m going to get in trouble, Carmen!” 

But it wasn’t like the snack could go back on the tray now that it had touched his lips, could it?

Skye turned their back to the bulk of the guests and all but inhaled the snack he’d been granted, finally realizing just how hungry he’d been. “T-thank you…” After a quick look around he snatched one other h’ordeuvre and jammed it in his mouth as well, swallowing so fast it brought tears to his eyes. “Is that better now?”  

~~~

Carmen shifts his body so that his broad, tall form could aid in shielding Skye away from prying eyes as well.  He won’t listen to any complaints, no excuses, he’d feel better once the other bun had eaten and taken care of himself.  There is some scolding on the tip of Carmen’s tongue, but he decides tonight....he’ll leave it alone.

When Skye is quick to grab another to pop into their mouth Carmen’s eyes soften, a smile on his lips once again. “I should be asking you that, shouldn’t I?” The taller man asks, returning Skye’s tray to them.  “But yes, I think that will suffice for now, Skye, but you’re not outta the woods just yet.”  Meaning Carmen was going to make sure the bun had a sufficient amount of food tonight.  For now, it could wait until after they had fulfilled their shift requirements.  

~~~

“S-Sorry for worrying you, Carmen. I’ll eat more when we’re off, I promise.” Taking his tray back, Skye glanced up at a clock on the wall and did a quick calculation of how much longer that would be. And now that they’d had a little snack, Skye felt better prepared, and served the gala guests just as diligently as he would back at the cafe.

~~~

Enough time had passed, for Carmen and Skye’s shift to be done, replaced by another set of servers so that the ones from the previous shift could enjoy the Gala festivities.  Carmen was glad to take off the apron, setting it on a break table nearby as he and Skye removed the ‘uniform’ parts of their outfit.  “That wasn’t so bad.” The barista comments as he gathers his things from a locker to return to his pocket. 

“We’ve got the rest of the night ahead of us- ugh I’m hungry now...” The bun absent mindedly patted his stomach as he spoke, he had eaten before his shift but with all the standing and running back and forth to refill his tray he had worked up a hunger. “Ready to go get those ‘teeney-tiny’ sandwiches?” Carmen asks, turning his head to shoot Skye a grin.  The man hadn’t forgotten, taking care of others was always the first priority, even if he was considered annoying for it.  

“Let’s get some food then hit that dance floor, probably the only time we’ll be to something like this.”  Carmen speaks as if his mind is already made up, the thought hadn’t even occurred to him that maybe Skye...didn’t want to dance with him.  But, he’d have to rely on if the other wasn’t comfortable with it, they’d speak up.

~~~

Skye smiled, nodding as his tail wagged. He was a guest now, right? They could take up a little more space? “Yes! I’ll show you the kind I had earlier, I think you’d really like it.” He followed Carmen around the venue like an Impup, first to drop off their aprons, then to the lockers to grab their belongings, then towards the massive tables set up with all sorts of treats and h’ordeuvres, for those guests that preferred to stand in one place instead of look around for a waiter. 

A soft blush warmed Skye’s cheeks as Carmen teasingly reminded them of the earlier snack sneaking; or more specifically, of the way Carmen always seemed to put so much care into making sure everybody around him was doing okay. 

He was about to say something else before Carmen’s next sentence caught him off guard. 

Oh, he’ll have no problem finding a dance partner, I guess I’ll - wait… He said ‘we’... Does he want to dance… With me???

Skye took a moment to compose himself - with limited success - before looking up at Carmen, face definitely noticeably red. “I-I’d love to dance with you, if you’ll have me…” While Skye had tried to sound ‘cool’, the way his Flutter Motes flocked to Carmen and landed all over the other doll’s clothes told a different story. “I figured I’d have to wait until somebody thought I looked interesting and came over to chat… But I’d much rather spend that time with you.” 

~~~

“What?” Carmen asked with a laugh as Skye said he’d have to wait for someone to come over.  “No, we came together.  Come on.” The barista wouldn’t be stopped, grabbing Skye’s hand to run off in the direction where the festivities were held.  They could enjoy the remainder of the night before it was time to go home and get some rest.  The coffee shop wasn’t going to open itself early in the morning the next day.