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sweetmariihs2 · 2 months ago

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Onceler and Lana draft : my oc x canon /AU post.

I've had an idea in my mind for a while now, it won't be turned into a fanfiction or anything like that, perhaps some arts and small comics. It's just a sketch, and this is the first post I'm making about it (I was originally going to add an art I made here, but couldn't finish it and just added this gif instead).

Basically, I'm working on a story based on The Lorax book/movies, specially focused on the Onceler. The story also has another protagonist, which is an OC called Lana Grant (inspired by Lana Del Rey), and the story is about a relationship between her, a model for Thneed Inc, and him, the head of the company and mayor/founder of the town, having to hide from the view of the media and the people in Thneedville.

‼️light nsfw mentions, my OC Lana is Onceler's escort and 'personal girl'.

The main inspirations for the story:

Besides The Lorax book/movie/TV special, there is some influence of the old Hollywood aesthetic and the golden era of Hollywood, with aspects from the 20s to the 70s, a lot of influence coming from Lana Del Rey's (released and unreleased) songs such as nostalgia, memories of glamurous places that will never go back to it's past state, like a fever dream -coded memory. There is a lot of influence from the lifestyle of the American bourgeoisie of the 1900's, inspirations from places like Las Vegas and Hollywood are more enhanced in the city of Thneedville, and there is also some small inspiration from The Great Gatsby movie. There is also some small inspiration from great works in the Onceler fandom, like The Rust Factory, even though I don't rely on it too much as to keep a certain difference from this work and mine.

I saved some inspirations on Pinterest for what the aesthetics of this story would be like, too. There are some edits from @aikoidiota included which I would like to credit! (your editing skills are amazing)

I am really proud of this moodboard tbh. Moving on,

The Characters:

The Onceler:

Even though most of you know who the Onceler is, there are some small things to point out about his character in this story. I don't consider him a persona though, I like to think that he's still the same old Onceler as always, only in a fanfiction.

In this story, Onceler is a mix of 2012 and 1972 (it's how I like to see his 2012 self, as a mix). He looks like the 2012 version, just like everything else in this story, but he smokes expensive cigars, drinks alcohol, and is to some extent aware of the damage caused by Thneed Inc, but he keeps on biggering. Everyone in town pays attention to him, he is the star of commerce and the media, people see him as a celebrity and absolutely everything in Thneedville revolves around and in favor of him. He makes commercials, he makes public speeches, he appears at posters and billboards, he does interviews for TV and the newspaper, he throws fancy business parties, he hosts runway shows for Thneed Inc models, he participates in games and parties with other business partners of the company, he funds city renovations (Onceler is basically the mayor) and more. Sometimes he goes to the casino to have fun and gamble with other rich businessmen (who are less rich and much older than him). Wherever the Onceler goes everyone pays attention to him, he smiles charismatically and is friendly to everyone. If he goes to the casino to drink and gamble, suddenly there are several rich men and beautiful women behind him cheering for him to win, and if he goes to the square he has to wave and smile at everyone (and smile to paparazzis too), to the point where he hardly goes to the square anymore. When he arrives at an establishment, for example a restaurant, a waiter runs to the boss and shouts "Mr. Onceler is here!!!" which makes everyone automatically panic and then receive him better than the others (it's not like the Onceler... Greedler goes to low-income restaurants anyway). Everyone sees him as a celebrity, politician and absolutely everyone loves him and they see him in their media all the time... except for environmentalist protests.

Onceler is his usual charismatic and greedy self. He is a great actor and always acts more friendly and charismatic in the media, in front of the cameras and in front of people, to be known that way and convince/win people over more easily, but when he is alone he complains about having to act like a good guy all the time because of the press and that bothers him. At first that was a bit hard for him, but now he's already used to it. He loves the attention, has fun knowing that he knows how to sell himself and his thneeds to people, but sometimes he gets overwhelmed and gets frustrated about it, also for not saying everything he wants and acting like himself, but specially when people are being too invasive with their questions/saying malicious indirect things knowing that he can't speak up for himself in front of other people/making him uncomfortable etc. Deep down he is his usual self, usually in a bad mood after smiling for hours... except from time to time where he feels proud of himself for 'deceiving' everyone into liking him more. Onceler smokes and drinks because of anxiety, but he doesn't know it and just thinks it's to deal with work stress (which is also true) (he's not a drunk, don't worry, it's just something he does often). He's pretty much the same thing. Proud, stubborn, greedy, and a liar, but deep down he's still not a bad person.

Lana Grant (my oc):

Lana's name was inspired by Lana Del Rey (and her real name, Elizabeth Grant). Her design was inspired by Lana Del Rey, Hilda Furacão, Marilyn Monroe and 20's-60's clothing style. Lana Grant was an environmental activist before joining Thneed Inc (planning to get out as soon as possible) due to financial difficulties and becoming one of the company's biggest and most known models in a short period of time. She is 22 years old, has white skin and her hair is described as "cherry brown", a brunette with red undertones.

Lana has a strong personality and never gives up on fighting for what she believes in, never changing her opinion about what is right. She is stubborn and has strong moral values. She has a huge sense of altruism, helps out at the animal shelter and donates to various causes, even though she is often dependant of the money that she donates, noticing people (or animals) who are in worse situations than her and doing them charity work because of that. She is bold, stubborn and doesn't keep quiet about anything, in fact Lana is not afraid to fight, and when she needs to, she screams the truth in your face without thinking twice about whoever it is or whoever is listening. She always thinks before speaking and her arguments are coherent, and she only fights when necessary (in Onceler's case, sometimes it is very necessary).

Lana's flaw is that she tries to carry the world in her back, and gets overwhelmed by it. She believes she can help if she tries hard enough, but in the end feeling too much for the world makes her feel too much pain too, specially in Thneedville, surrounded by the massive destruction of the truffula trees she grew up around, ruined habitats and dead/migrating/hungry animals everywhere. The capitalist and consumerist pace of the city also overwhelms her, as the Greenville where she grew up was to some extent a rural town that lived off harvesting and small businesses. She hates the Onceler for ruining everything, hurting the animals, destroying the forest, all in exchange for selling his stupid product. She bought one herself, when the Thneed was still a small brand, and wears it as a piece of clothing (her hatred for this company almost made her throw it away, but she considered that it would be the death of a Truffula tree thrown down the drain and decided to keep it), it is a different habit from the rest of the town, who have a different Thneed for each function they need, one of each color. Her hatred for the Onceler extends not only to the things he does, but how he does them, smiling for the cameras and selling himself as a nice guy - which everyone buys without hesitation. She has always known that this act is a lie, because a nice guy would never do the things he does; she knows he is a product, an image, and a liar who draws attention to himself so that the town doesn't pay attention to the trees, and this irritates her. He also lies about the trees and everyone believes him, but Lana used to go on picnics/hikes in the forest and knows very well that this is not true. Other environmentalists also watch the company closely and notice/take pictures of the same things, but even with several lawsuits, Onceler always knows how to defend himself in court (with bribes, but this is just theory; if it were confirmed he would already be in jail).

She hates him, hates his round face, his smug expression, his catchphrases, his vibrant clothes, his flash of money, and she's tired of seeing him on every billboard and poster in town, every TV commercial, every newspaper and interview, and all the dozens of girls who are desperate for a douchebag like him. And when she tells the truth, others still call her and her friends annoying. There was one time she was rooting for him to lose a lawsuit and when he appeared on TV happily saying it was just a misunderstanding, she threw ice cream at his digital, recently colored face. Damn guy.

Lana moved out of her parents' house and into a small, mid-sized apartment in order to gain independence at the same time that Greenville was purchased by Thneed Inc and was being transformed into Thneedville. Realizing what the Onceler was doing to the Truffula forest, she and a group of people protested against the company's advances, however they were always ignored by it. She hated the Onceler, but small businesses closing, Thneed Inc owning every store in town and the lack of money were the main reasons why Lana had to temporarily apply for a job at Thneed Inc, however her beauty and portfolio as an amateur model ended up attracting attention and she became a model for the company for a reasonable pay.

She then tried to reach the Onceler with the intention of making the company take action, but after the discussion with Onceler about environmental issues, Onceler became interested in the model's beauty and boldness in saying what she wanted to his face (most people didn't do that - they either blindly obeyed him, or were rude and "sensationalist"), and after a few weeks of thinking, he offered a special job: to be his escort and perform special services, in secret. Although hesitant for a while, Lana eventually accepted because of the payment. This position allowed her to spend some more time with him and get to know him more personally, and despite talking to the Onceler about the things that he does, he doesn't seem to change his mind so easily. She was forced not to be an environmental activist anymore because of her contract with Thneed Inc and image, people would recognize her and call her out; her face is everywhere, just not as much as Onceler's.

Onceler also began taking her to parties and public speeches as his escort, and a buzz began to emerge in the media that she was his partner, making her gain even more attention. The hatred she felt for Onceler began to dissipate, and she began to see him as a friend with flaws (or something else) after the several conversations they had about personal matters and after getting to know him better. Lana's opinions did not change, but as the story progressed, the fame and luxury of life next to the Onceler made her forget a little about what was happening outside the walls of Thneedville, being reminded of reality and soon being distracted from it by the Onceler and his luxury life again.

Titles:

I actually couldn't choose a title. I really want to, but I don't like any of them enough and I can't decide. Here's what I came up with:

Thneedville Nights

Under The Thneedville Lights

Glamour and Greed (I like this one but it's very cliché)

A Velvet Affair (???)

Velvet Nights (I just think velvet is a very pretty word)

They all sound stupid to me, if you have any suggestion.... help

The Story:

Onceler's canon event here is the same, but a bit expanded. The whole story takes place in the 2012 movie but with features of the 1972 special included in it. I would say it happened in a seussian/fictional kind of 60s. It all happened during the "The Lorax" events: Onceler arrives at the Truffula Forest, starts selling his Thneeds, opens Thneed Inc and creates Thneedville, the trees run out, he goes bankrupt and spends his entire life in his cabin regretting his decisions. Lorax is also a character, but he is not frequent and usually talks only to the Onceler. (Funny how the title character is now a background one)

There is a kind of timeline of the events from this story, the same time Onceler has his life, Lana has hers, and they meet at a certain point. I'm going to make a topic in the post just about the timeline, but at the moment I need to focus on the story.

When the Onceler moved to the Truffula forest, Lana still lived at her parents' house in Greenville. Since you probably already know about Onceler's canon events, I'll only focus on Lana's story. Thneed Inc was growing their name and their industry, reaching more space, appearing on TV, newspapers, billboards and on the radio, the Onceler's name (and image, and voice, and charisma, everything) was being known everywhere, and he was getting a great reception from the people, known for his Thneeds and their incredible uses, but as a person, he was known as a friendly, young, prodigy businessman who was becoming as powerful as older names in the industry. Everyone liked him (except for Lana, who always felt off about his image), and he bought the city of Greenville, starting to transform it into Thneedville. This change for Lana was already strange, but then Thneed Inc started buying and closing the small businesses too, replacing them with new stores and affiliates of the company, demolishing the old town and creating a new one. Lana had been organizing to leave home for a while, since before Thneed Inc arrived in town, and her plans didn't change because of that. She bought a small new built apartment with the goal of just finding a temporary place, but her money didn't go much further than that, and living off her parents' donations wasn't something she wanted to do. When the walls around the city had not yet been built, it was possible to see the Truffula valley being gradually destroyed, especially the part of the valley behind the Thneeds' factory, further away and easier to hide from the city. That not only bothered Lana, but also a group of people (small, compared to huge the rest of the city that didn't cared about it), and small protests began to appear - Lana became part of them.

Lana could see and notice the changes in the environment around her, see the dozens and dozens of trees being cut, hurt barbaloots and swomee-swans being rescued in awful conditions (always related to Onceler's industry) appearing at the animal shelter she helped on, and she always felt off about the Onceler, so all these attitudes of his company, the friendliness he pretended to have in front of the cameras and the lies he told about everything being under control and being responsible with the Truffula valley only infuriated her and the other environmentalists. The Onceler's face was everywhere, and everyone loved him despite the things he did and lied about not doing, the truth was right outside everyone's doors and yet they chose to ignore it, it made her angry.

Lana carried a great hatred for Onceler because he was lying to the media and ignorant about the damages caused by his industry - most of the people were fooled by his fake charisma and his commercials, but she and a small group of people weren't. Lana participated in protests and other small actions against the company, but Onceler always managed to cover it up from the media and make them look like just noisy lunatics, coupled with his charisma and the attractiveness of the Thneeds, the general public always sided with him (as big industries always do). As the small town of Greenville was reformed to become Thneedville, little by little all the businesses were taken over by Thneed Inc, and it got to the point where there was no choice of employment to apply for other than Thneed Inc and its affiliates. Lana had recently moved into a small temporary apartment to seek her own independence, with the goal of raising money to buy a new, better place to live, and while her money was running out, she needed to find a job immediately - but refused to apply for and support Thneed Inc.

She didn't even have enough money to move out of the city, so she tried to be a small-time model and sell her own photos (even some more inappropriate ones), but that wasn't enough. Other independent small stores were closing and Thneed Inc was buying everything. In the end, she decided to go against her principles and applied for a job at Thneed Inc, waiting for any opportunity to come along, just to earn enough money to live in a better place and get out of there as soon as she got enough. Her data and portfolio reached Onceler's hands, but he didn't pay much attention and just noticed the fact that she was very pretty, putting her in a model position without thinking too much about it (he has too many things to pay attention at once and pretty girls weren't a big thing to him when he got successful).

Of course, at first Lana wasn't one of the biggest models, but eventually her beauty caught people's attention and made her rise in the position, putting her in fashion shows, magazines and billboards along with some other girls. Usually promotions are not done by the Onceler but by his secretaries and others involved in the company, so he also did not pay much attention to his models and remained busy with the issue of organizing the company's marketing, finances and affiliates, in addition to always being contacted by several people responsible for several different sectors and having to organize and balance everything with public appearances and a good image for the company (which means, he didn't paid much attention to Lana or the other marketing girls). She had hoped to do this just long enough to raise a good amount of money, to maybe get out of town, but her career at Thneed Inc had risen so high and so quickly that it had become difficult to return to her life as an environmental protester since she would be recognized, and showing support for the cause would get her in trouble. Even knowing that keeping quiet went against her ideals, Lana expected that this would only last for a short time.

That's when the two characters finally cross their paths. Because of the greater importance she had within the company, she made an appointment with the Onceler to report the case of a photographer who was being negligent with the models, and... the environmental problems caused by Thneed Inc, with the hope that her soft tone, polite manners and good solutions would make the Onceler change his mind. He didn't liked it. At first they were polite, and he delined and said passive-aggressive phrases like "I appreciate the suggestion, but I know very well how to handle my company and you know very well what your role is in it, thank you", but Lana didn't gave up and they started to argue. She argued politely though, and had good arguments, and Onceler as always just said "what, do you want me to shut down Thneed Inc? You want me to affect the entire economy? That's not going to happen" when Lana never said that at all. The confident and polite way she expressed her ideas, her courageous attitude of going to the Onceler to question him about his own company without fear of being fired or wanting to take advantage of his money (something that some beautiful women like her try to do), her strong opinions and her breathtaking beauty caught his attention. He noticed in Lana, even in her respectful tone, that she didn't like him, and that made him interested in her. When Lana finally left his office, the Onceler went to the company's employee files and looked for Lana's profile, reading her information and also finding her portfolio (that is, the photos she had taken some time ago).

Onceler then had an idea. The reasons for this idea are not mentioned, perhaps it was for ego reasons (because he knew she hated him) or for personal reasons, but he decided to tell his secretaries to call Lana to talk to him in his office some time later, a few days, maybe a week. Lana swore that she was in trouble, but when she got there, Onceler had a proposal to make: Lana would be his escort and would do some "personal favors" to him, on the condition that: 1 - Onceler cannot do anything without her consent; 2 - Neither of them can engage in any romantic relationship during this period; 3 - Lana would be available at all times, except when there is some justification for not attending (not feeling well is also an justification). The payment was defined 2000 dollars for each night she spends with him. The model was in doubt, because she couldn't stand Onceler but she also needed that money... he didn't even know about her financial issues, and she didn't know that he realized she didn't like him, Lana just thought he was making this offer because she was pretty, and at a certain point, he was. Lana decided to put her pride aside and accept the proposal, just for now, enough to get a good amount of money to support herself, but of course she didn't tell him that. She only asked for the condition that Onceler spend some time with her first, because she had never done that with anyone, and he agreed to take her to dinner first on the same night she was going to sleep with him, two days later. She accepted.

Two days later, there she was, after a photo shoot for a magazine, dressed in a red dress and a Thneed on her shoulder (everyone in town had one, even her, but they bought several of them. She only used that one for what she needed, since she already had it and it would be a waste to throw it away). Lana didn't even thought it would be embarrassing to wear a Thneed on a date with Onceler, she just put it on because it matched her outfit. Onceler picked her up at the Thneed Inc headquarters around 8:00 pm in his white limousine (or rather, the driver did). He was smoking a cigar and drinking whiskey, and the car ride to the restaurant was awkward because of Lana's nervousness and the fact didn't know each other but knew they were going to sleep together that night. Onceler made a joke about the Thneed she was wearing, which made Lana embarassed, and he told her that he realized she didn't like him, and that he saw her pictures, which made her feel embarrassed once again. The atmosphere between them was awkward, and when they arrived at the expensive restaurant it was even more so. There were only rich people in the restaurant, they all knew the Onceler, and they noticed Onceler's arrival with one of his models (and surprisingly the news didn't spread much) - Lana felt out of place.

The menu was very expensive, the decoration was all expensive, everything there was very expensive, but Onceler assured her that he would pay for everything and that he didn't mind. They talked throughout dinner, eventually returning to the discussion about the environment and Lana made him uncomfortable again, but she made Onceler think... maybe he had already talked a little with the Lorax before, but he really considered what she said, and said that he would think of better solutions later, which brought him a little closer to Lana. They talked about interests, careers, ate their dinner, and Lana shared her nervousness with him, who reassured her that everything would be fine, and that he would be helping her with everything. Said and done, they returned to the limousine that took them to the Thneed Inc. headquarters building in the city center, where Onceler's apartment was on the top floor.

Lana spent the night at his penthouse. The next day, she woke up to find Onceler ready for work, and he took her back home in the limousine. He was a bit distant compared to how close he was to her last night, as if he were a stranger to her again. The next few times he called her, the same thing happened; he was affectionate at night, but in the morning he was back to wearing that ridiculous green suit and acting as if he hadn't been so close to her the night before. Lana could swear that the moment he put on that green suit, the top hat and those glasses he stopped being himself. This is a small allusion to his "Onceler and Greed-Ler" personality, showing that he acts like a character he created every time he appears in the media, and this character, despite being falsely friendly, deep down only cares about money and business. It's the Onceler that she deeply hates.

At first, she sees Onceler as a liability and a slightly intriguing guy to be around; there is a slight awkwardness between the two, and she finds his actions extremely questionable. However, when they leave the crowd, Onceler shows Lana that he has a heart; as he once said, when he walked away from a party to seek some alone time away from the crowd, that he didn't like being a character all the time. That this outfit was fake, his comments were fake, and that he would like to be rude to people who are rude to him without any repercussions; he was tired of everyone watching him, despite enjoying being admired and knowing how to sell himself to the public. He was a somewhat intriguing guy when he didn't have an audience to watch him. Besides his ignorance on environmental issues, this was another thing that Lana hated about him, for letting his greed make him forget about himself, and the good person he can be when he doesn't care about money or the public.

She tried to talk to him about it several times and show that she was truly bothered, but it didn't matter much. The truth is that as time went by, Lana became closer to him and the unlikely happened: she was enjoying it. But she would never accept having anything romantic with the Onceler because it sounded ridiculous, she hated him and just wanted enough money to leave. Even so, every time they saw each other, the time they slept together lasted only 30% of the time they were together on those nights, and talking/having fun with him was becoming a common event during the weeks. He shared his past with her, and Lana, on the other hand, shared that she worries too much about carrying the world on her shoulders and forgets that she can't solve everything. There is a mutual closeness, and the two began to consider each other in an unspoken way as something between friends and a business relationship. By the way, I wrote some interesting dialogues for this scene that I could even make a small comic about it. Here is a little snippet! Be aware that they just did the dirty so they're tiredly lying in bed. These paragraphs were in portuguese so if it sounds weird it's because I translated it:

Onceler's voice broke the silence of the room. "Are you comfortable? Are you tired?" Lana answered with only a murmur of approval. He continued smoking his cigar, lying sloppily on the bed, finally breaking the silence as he studied her face. "See... it wasn't so bad, was it? I thought you'd complain more."

"It wasn't bad, just... pretty tiring." Lana settled herself in bed, turning slightly to the Onceler. She felt a strange atmosphere between the two, but he didn't seem to notice... He was too busy smoking his cigar. The girl stared at him in silence, looking at him and his room... Onceler let out a small muffled laugh as he watched her gaze.

"Oh, yeah. You almost left me without energy too." He stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray next to him and lay down better on the bed, resting his face on his arm and looked back at her. Onceler's room was large and comfortable, with a king-size bed, a huge wardrobe, a marble-topped nightstand, and a panoramic view of the city. Not luxurious at all (it absolutely was).

The boy watched her face for a few seconds, staring back at her with a neutral, almost thoughtful and curious look. After a few moments, he opened his mouth again to speak, "You don't look very comfortable, dear. Are you trying to tell me something I don't know yet?" The businessman said, observing her dejected expression with a half-closed gaze. His tone of voice was calm, almost casual. Lana murmured a sound of approval without making much effort, and Onceler made a muffled sound, a sign that he wasn't completely convinced, ironically saying: "Don't say it. I see that you look completely at ease."

"What do you want me to say?" The girl asked, completely wrapped in the blankets.

Onceler watched her as she murmured, a curious look on his face. After a while, he sighed softly and answered with a neutral tone in his voice. "What are you really thinking about."

Lana stared at him for a few moments, considering whether he really wanted to know or not, and whether it was worth the effort to tell. She let out a sigh, giving in to his request. "I'm tired. My hips and back are sore. It feels like I've been lifting weights for hours," complained. She settled herself in the covers to get more comfortable, in the darkness of his room. "You really don't know how to deal with girls."

A small laugh escaped his lips at her comment, after the pause he responded with a friendlier tone. "Hm, well, I don't usually deal with girls really," he admits calmly. Onceler kept staring at her in the darkness. "It's not normal for me to have you here, you know. It's weird seeing you in my bed. A girl who was my adversary, who protested by calling me selfish and greedy... but at the same time it's kind of fun."

"I know it's fun for you." Lana murmured back in a tired voice, looking down at her hands under the covers. All that mattered was the fact that she wasn't looking back at him or at the room. Once again, he thought about her sentence.

There was a short silent pause as he stared at the woman on the bed, noticing her distracted gaze. His mind began to work, trying to understand. "And for you, is it fun too?"

His question seemed to have caught her attention. A soft sigh escaped Lana's lips. "How I feel shouldn't matter to you."

"If it didn't, I wouldn't have asked."

Lana's gaze traveled to his face once more. She settled herself better under the covers and looked at the Onceler, considering that maybe, just maybe, she could talk to him a little bit, since he was so insistent. But she didn't want to risk her job, so she only said enough. "I don't know." She answered the question he asked earlier, about having fun. Her voice had a softer and more delicate tone, but it still held truth.

"But you're not feeling unhappy, are you?"

Lana pondered his words. "No. I'm not unhappy either."

Onceler couldn’t help but have a curious expression as he stared at her silently, observing her as she observed him back. He let out a soft sigh. “And how do you feel, then? After all, you are my escort now.”

"Yeah, I know." Lana replied, thinking about his words. She wondered what could have made him think of her now, so suddenly - unusual. Once again, he was a hard guy to understand, and Lana was still trying to figure it out and get used to the way he acted. She didn't want to talk too much and lose her job. "It's like I'm playing house. I'm a terrible actress."

There was a hint of humor in Onceler's expression, while she could feel a hint of surprise in his soft voice as he answered her. “I wouldn’t say you’re a bad actress, you know. You’re doing a good job of pretending you don’t hate me.”

Lana continued to stare at him, not finding the humor in that sentence. She was acting truer than he had imagined. "I don't even know what I think about you anymore."

"You hate my company, at least. You know what you think of me, don't you? I'm making you work a job you find questionable because of my money." The conversation between the two seemed deeper than usual. The room was silent, only the sound of their breathing could be heard. The silence of the night, the warmth of the bed. Onceler was not very good at interpreting her feelings, but he could tell that this bothered her. "But you are here, with me. Because of the money. That's why you can't despise me so much."

"No, I don't know if it's just that. You confuse me a lot. You don't make any sense, I don't understand, I don't understand you."

Her words were confusing, as if she didn’t know what to expect from him. It intrigued him, awakened in him some desire to understand her better. “Maybe you won’t. You don’t know me well enough.”

Lana seemed to be trying to decide how to put into words what she was feeling, but she didn't want to show it too much. There was a need for communication and distance at the same time between the two, and communication should only go so far. "You're so confusing. Remember earlier today, when you asked which side of you was my favorite and I told you it was the one in the bedroom? I'm talking about the 'you' now. I prefer you like this, thoughtful, sincere. But when it gets to the morning you act like you don't care about anything or anyone, and you go on TV and out on the streets with that fake smile on your face. You're still irresponsible and ignorant even after spending hours talking to me the way we are now. This doesn't make any sense to me."

The Onceler remained silent, just listening to her words. He noticed that she was trying to express herself, but becoming more frustrated as she tried to. Her frustration affected him a little. He let out a low sigh. "I'm a businessman, Lana. I have no choice... I need to be seen as someone who is trustworthy and have everything under control. That's how the game works. I need to stay that way, that's the only way to keep my company running. If I let you see too much of my my personal side, things could go wrong. I need to act the way you said, in front of everyone... It's the only way to keep the company safe and keep the money coming in."

"Even with me?" Lana asked in a soft and slightly apprehensive whisper. They both knew she didn't agree with his words about business and money, it wasn't new.

After a slightly frustrated sigh, he answered calmly, but with something in his voice that seemed regretful. "Yes. Even with you." The man frowned slightly as he answered, trying to keep his tone conscious and calm. His words were precise and direct, showing how serious he was about the matter. "Especially with you. I can't let you invade my world, my routine. That's dangerous, and I need to stay focused on my work."

Lana continued to look at him, seeming to digest his words with an expression he couldn't exactly put into words. Maybe disappointment, maybe confusion. "It seems like you're only polite to me when we're in this room. Who I talk to in here is very different from who I see outside. And I can't even blame you, especially because you pay me, and you pay me very well. I'm just your escort and you don't owe me any explanations."

"I can't afford to..." Onceler paused for a moment, thinking about the words, the reality of the situation. "...to be vulnerable. With you, with anyone else. I need to maintain this image in order to keep the company running as it should. That's how it works. I'm a man with a very difficult job, with a lot of pressure, a lot of money involved, a lot of responsibilities... Thneed Inc comes first, always." There was a hint of frustration and disappointment in his voice. Onceler's gaze was fixed on her as he spoke the words, watching her reaction, hoping she would understand. "I can't let you invade my routine, but I still have you here, with me. It's the most intimacy I can offer you... but that will have to be enough to you." He continued to stare into her eyes, while searching for words that could explain the situation they were in. "It would hurt less, if you didn't really saw me, if you just did your job and didn't question anything."

Lana understood his perspective, but she didn't understand why he acted indifferent towards her even when they were alone anywhere other than in the bedroom. The girl wanted to question him about it, she really did, but upon hearing his last words she found a piece of information that caught her attention even more. Onceler had indirectly asked her to leave that aside. And he was right... yes, it was the initial plan anyway. But it was very strange to have to stop caring about how he treated her outside the bedroom when they had such personal conversations inside. His behavior was not consistent with what he was asking. "I... understand." Lana actually didn't understand very well. "You're right, you... hired me for a reason. And it wasn't to make friends. But then you need to stop confusing me. I'm not sure what you want. I understand that I'm your escort, of course, but then you start venting to me and I start seeing myself as your friend. Then in the next day you decide to act indifferent and treat me arrogantly. That's what confuses me, am I your lady-in-waiting or what?" She asked in frustration, but her voice didn't raise.

Onceler was uncomfortable, he didn't know how to answer her questions anymore, not in a simple way, not in a way that didn't leave him completely exposed and vulnerable. "You're my lady-in-waiting, Lana. I don't want to have a bad relationship with you, okay? It's good to talk, to create a bond, especially in the context of the things we do. But when we're done, you have to understand that I can't keep giving you attention, Thneed Inc needs me all the time. That's why I wanted an escort, because I have needs but I can't have a girlfriend, I can't give any attention. It's a difficult situation, of course, but what can I do? We have an exchange agreement. We talk every now and then because whether we like it or not, we're coworkers, and I want to have a good relationship with you. Got it?"

Lana's eyes were fixed on him and then they looked back at the silent room, her eyebrows slightly furrowed and her gaze thoughtful. Onceler couldn't put into words exactly what her expression was. "I... get it. I guess I got things mixed up."

The businessman let out a soft sigh, feeling calmer after hearing her words. "You see... I don't want to confuse you, I hope you're not feeling bad about all this." He added, trying to comfort her. "I just needed to make it clear, since you brought it up. I'm quite happy with the arrangement we have, and of course, I enjoy your company. Can we just relax, hm?"

Lana noticed his proximity and allowed it without many reservations, but her mind was still trying to understand. Once again, he was being so affectionate and yet he had just said that these caresses, this closeness, all of this was just for comfort. Just for comfort. Especially because Lana was his lady-in-waiting, and it wouldn't make sense to keep showing her affection, unless he liked the feeling of giving affection, which was most likely. Lana sighed, resigned. Maybe she was just a toy in his hands. And he was right, she gave her consent to this and was earning an absurd amount of money to do what he asked. She just didn't expect it to be so difficult, or so confusing. As he caressed her body, the man closed his eyes, trying to ignore the conflicting needs he felt inside himself. He could feel his interest in her intensifying, but he also felt a touch of confusion, of hesitation. She was his escort, she was only with him for the money, it shouldn’t mean anything more than that. But for some reason, whenever he touched her body, felt the scent of her perfume, or heard the sound of her voice, he couldn’t help but give in to the interest he felt. Onceler let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes again. He couldn't help but feel a little vulnerable and confused... frustrated. His need for her was real, but he knew it didn't mean anything lasting. It was just business, and nothing else.

Did you liked it?? 💋 It's not a fanfiction though. I don't want to write a full fic, it takes a lot of time. But I'm proud.

Going back to the summary, this is a recurring problem between them, but they put it aside and pretend that nothing happened. Onceler throws parties so that the company can continue to appear in the media, gather rich people and continue doing business, and to get some buzz, he invited Lana to accompany him publicly as a poster girl. Furthermore, after she started sleeping with him some time before, her position mysteriously rose in the company and Lana became the main model + began to appear more prominently in fashion shows. At parties, Onceler always made red carpet entrances, and appeared grabbing Lana's waist and carrying her everywhere as if she were his girlfriend, this caused rumors and sensationalism on TV and in the newspapers, which was great for him and bad for her, who just wanted to make the money and leave, and which also made people look into her past and discover that she protested against Thneed Inc. After that, chaos was installed. People started talking about Onceler's supposed girlfriend, and he kept denying it and saying that Lana was just a poster girl. Lana’s fellow environmentalist friends thought she had switched sides, and threw tomatoes at her on one of the red carpet nights. Reporters began invading her privacy and asking invasive questions about her ideals, whether she believed the company had changed, whether she regretted protesting. Onceler didn’t want them to do to her what they usually did to him, because he was used to it and knew how to deal with people, but Lana, on the other hand, was static.

It was weird. Girls who were Onceler's fans and believed they could have a chance with him started to hate her, and Lana was sometimes spotted by reporters, who would show up and start making her uncomfortable again. Lana even went to Onceler with a newspaper in her hand to show him the sensationalist article they were writing about the two of them, and Onceler said he couldn't stop the newspaper from publishing articles, but he would do his best to limit what they were doing to her image. Money and bribes were involved - which shows that for Onceler, Lana became more important than an escort, because he was willing to spend money to protect her image and paid for several things for her too. It seemed more like a friends with benefits, but with money involved.

It was at one of these parties that Onceler's Ma met Lana. She doesn't like Lana because she doesn't want her son to be too busy with women and forget to work/pay more attention to girls than to the money he'll give to his mother and family. Besides, it's easier to manipulate him when he's alone than when he has someone to be by his side whispering things in his ear. So the first thing she did was criticize Lana's dress and say that it was too low-cut for a party of that size, but she had forgotten that Onceler had asked her, Mrs. Funtzler and Mrs. O'Schmuntzler to choose a green dress for his model to wear, and she decided to let the other two take care of it so she could do something else considered more important. When Lana said that Onceler had left it up to her and the other secretaries to choose, Onceler's Ma was embarrassed. She doesn't like Lana. (Brett and Chet on the other hand think she's hot and act like idiots around her, making lame pick-up lines.)

These comments from people and from TV went on for several months until one day reporters spotted them in a very compromising situation, nothing more than a photo of them kissing and very intimate touching. From that moment on, they were screwed. Onceler and Lana decided that they would start fake dating, and he went public, grabbing her by the waist and saying "Oh my, you guys really found out! I was waiting for the right moment to reveal this, but it looks like you were smarter. You caught us. Lana and I are together, and you can consider her your Miss Onceler from now on."

Newspapers and TV stations have been talking about it. "Onceler's New Girlfriend!" was written all over the front pages. Reports saying, "It seems the president of Thneed Inc. is no longer a single man. Lana Grant, a model for Thneed Inc, is a former protester against the company from the time she wasn't it's model yet. The former environmentalist is now in a relationship with the Onceler and is getting a lot of backlash from her former group, but Lana claims to be on good terms with the businessman now. 'I know he's doing what's best for our city,' Lana says. The couple seems happy, but many citizens claim the model is only with him for the money. Is this the new big couple of our city, or is it just a temporary relationship?"

All this attention bothered Lana, and she always had to look smiling and in love with him whenever they were together in public. Eventually, as the development progressed, Lana showed up one day at his office, saying that she couldn't take it anymore. "You need to choose between me or your business. I'm not going to stay here feeding this lie to these people with you. I don't want to be your fake girlfriend. If you sleep with me, call me your girlfriend and use me for your public image, but don't have time to act like a boyfriend, I demand that you make a decision. This lie is killing me, because I like you, but having to face all this knowing that I'm just an ornament for you to carry around with you makes me want to stop doing it. I'm tired of pretending to myself that I don't like you, and then pretending that I do in front of others." She found herself in a state where, when she was with him in public or in the bedroom and he treated her with affection, she liked it. But then Onceler would step out of the way of the cameras and say, "phew, I'm glad it's over, you can do whatever you want now, Lana." And then in the bedroom, when they were sleeping together and spending time talking and having fun, they acted and felt like a couple. It was a fake couple, but it wasn't a fake couple, and yet sometimes it felt like a fake couple. And she was suffering real consequences of this in her personal life. That was stressing her out. Onceler then said that he liked her too, but couldn't give her the attention he wanted because of work. They said they would make it work, and then beyond the public eye, they started dating each other for real. Even though Onceler worked a lot, he would see her and ask her to sleep with him a few times a week (sleep with him + spend time together at his penthouse), and that was good for Lana. Onceler also stopped considering her his escort and instead of paying her to sleep with him, he gave her money because he wanted to.

Now we come to a very important point in the story. I'm not sure if this happens when Lana is just his date during the parties he takes her to as a company poster girl, or if it happens when they are already dating (but I think it's the first option). Onceler was going to call her to go to his office to "see him", and Lana wasn't home to answer. He called Miss Funtzler and asked her to find out where Lana was, immediately. What happened is that Lana was at the animal shelter where she usually helps out, and when Onceler called, he identified himself to a woman who seemed to be some kind of receptionist there, and said he was looking for Lana (at this point everyone already knew she was a model for the company, so Onceler looking for her wasn't strange). The lady replied that Lana wasn't feeling very well and couldn't answer the phone. Onceler asked why, and heard crying in the distance, but the receptionist didn't answer. She eventually gave in and handed the phone to Lana, who sounded very sad, and told Onceler that she couldn't do anything with him today because she wasn't feeling well enough. He wanted to know why because he was worried, but she wouldn't tell him, so Onceler said that if she didn't tell him, he would go find out. She didn't tell him, so he went. When he got there and found Lana crying in a chair, he asked what happened. What happened is that she went to try to take care of a barbaloot in emergency condition, choking on slime from his factory, and the bear died.

Onceler hadn't really paid attention to the consequences his actions had caused, and when he heard this news and saw the poor barbaloot, he felt a wave of remorse take over him. Much like when The Lorax makes him think in the 1972 special, Onceler thinks about what he's doing and promises Lana that he'll try to reduce Thneed Inc's impacts. A while later, when he returns to his day-to-day life, he sees how much this is going to cost him money, and he says he'll look for a solution later. At the same time, walls were being built around the city and people could no longer see the Truffula forest. One day, Onceler was making an announcement in a speech during one of these company parties, with Lana by his side, and he announced to everyone that from that day on they would begin taking actions to reduce Thneed Inc's impacts on nature. Lana looked at him in surprise, and this was an important point in their relationship because she truly believed that talking to him and making him understand had a result. Onceler did this to gain Lana's trust and also to gain the trust of the people, believing that it would reduce the protests and hesitation that some people might have when buying the company's products - in a way it helped, even though many protesters were not fooled by his lies, there was that repercussion and counter-argument of clearing the conscience of consumers to environmentalists who say "He already said he is doing his best to help, stop complaining!". If Lana had any reservations about the environmental impacts before, they were gone now. Onceler finally had her without hesitation in his arms.

The months they spent together without any major discussions about the environment were the best. Onceler lied to her and to Thneedville, and Lana became invested in that lie. The more time she spent around him, the more Lana learned to be the golden girlfriend of the president of Thneed Inc., the owner of the city. The more she enjoyed the parties, the interviews, the visibility, the money, the expensive jewelry and clothes, the limousines, the penthouse and magazine covers, the games at the casino. She began to enjoy the life of luxury and to enjoy being by his side. She liked being known as Onceler's girlfriend, even though sometimes she felt a little overshadowed by the idea people had of them, and was disappointed that people cared more about the two of them as characters than as real people. She liked being Onceler's golden girlfriend, but sometimes she didn't like being reduced to just that. Lana ignored this feeling, and told herself that life was too good now to find reasons to complain.

That's when everything went down the drain. Onceler had that private conversation with the Lorax and saw the last tree falling. That's when he knew that everything he had built during the last years was just a matter of time until it all fell down before his eyes. He managed to sell Thneeds for about 2 more months and kept lying to Lana and the media, but then the Thneeds in the stores were running out. Suppliers asked for more and there were none left. Thneed Inc had no choice but to go public and declare bankruptcy. There was great commotion in the city, reporters asked questions everywhere, paparazzi kept taking pictures of Onceler in his humiliating moments trying to balance things out and act natural without admitting that he had screwed up everything, but it was true, he had. Onceler didn't even know what to say to people. He didn't wanted to lose her, but he also didn't wanted to lose money or lose his industry, so he tried to come up with a solution while he kept lying to everyone, became too invested in how everything was going so well that he forgot to actually take action about the problem, and in the end everything went down the drain.

He laid off several employees and many people left the city. The factory was empty. Later on the day he declared bankruptcy, when he was in his office at the factory, Lana arrived, crying, extremely, deeply hurt and angry. "How could you?! How could you lie to me all this time?! I trusted you, I gave you everything I had! You used me all these months, touched me, used my image to cause a fuzz, I knew it! How could I fall for this?!" Onceler was so guilty, so bad about himself and his own troubles that he didn't even know what to say. It all happened so fast, and if I had said that it had lasted more than 5 minutes it would have been too long. Lana couldn't take it anymore, she exploded with rage and went after him; she felt like killing him there out of anger, and even though she didn't have the physical capacity to do so, she hit him in the chest anyway, hysterically. Onceler tried to call her, "Lana, Lana! Stop! Listen to me!" but she kept screaming "You fucking liar, you bastard! I hate you, you son of a bitch! I hope you die alone, and choke on that damn money of yours! Liar, liar!". He tried to grab her and make her stop struggling, but it was difficult. Onceler couldn't even speak. In a desperate moment he didn't know what to do and yelled, "Security!".

The security guards immediately came in and saw what was happening. They grabbed Lana by the arms and pulled her away from him, who continued to struggle. She continued to scream, even as she was dragged and taken away from him, "I hope you drown in your money, with no one to save you, you don't deserve it! I never want to see you again, never! Never again." Onceler just watched her leave until the doors to his office closed, and everything went silent. That was the last time he saw Lana, and he didn't go after her again. He was too ashamed to apologize, to look for her, and he believed that he didn't deserve to have her again. Lana didn't deserve to go through the pain of continuing to be by his side.

When Lana left the factory, there were reporters everywhere asking questions and generally wanting to get as much content out of the couple's sadness as possible to put in the news reports and on TV. Lana turned to one of them and said, "He's an idiot, a liar! I didn't know he was doing this, I didn't know. He said he had everything under control. He lied to everyone! I never want to see him again!", without caring about the repercussions, the stage, none of that mattered, she was just very angry and very hurt. The people of Thneedville commented on whether Lana was putting on a show to get rid of the Onceler image and take the blame off her shoulders, or if she was being sincere. In any case, the company was forgotten and when it went bankrupt soon (a year or two later) everything was replaced by O'Hare Industries. She thought about going after the Onceler, because after her anger subsided she thought about having a calmer conversation with him, but she never did. She promised she wouldn't go, and instead waited for him to show up and apologize - if he didn't, it was okay, she was still hurt and didn't want him back (even though deep down she still did). He never came. Lana heard from people that Onceler had left town to a place he didn't say and wouldn't be coming back. She didn't hear from him again.

Lana was taken off the billboards and stopped appearing in magazines, and people stopped caring about her. It was as if she had a bad reputation, people whispering on the street every now and then, "Look! She's Onceler's girlfriend," as if it were a dark secret and she had done something really bad. Years went by and Onceler stayed in Truffula Valley. You know what happened, he isolated himself from the world and never left. What happened during that period is a little unclear, I didn't focus much on that part of the story. Maybe Lana left town, but I bet she didn't, even if she had plenty of reasons and enough money to leave. She had a few boyfriends, but nothing long-lasting. The truth is that after Onceler, her life didn't take off as much as it had back then. Lana didn't liked being remembered by older people as the Lana she was 40 years ago, because they look at her now and act like she looks horrible after all the years had passed. Imagine old people coming up to you and saying, "Wow, are you Lana Grant from the Thneed Inc days? The Onceler's girlfriend? You were beautiful when you were younger, that romance between the two of you was so beautiful, but the Onceler chose to do really bad things, right? What a shame, you could have had a beautiful future." And Lana is like, "Yeah... (why the hell are you talking about the most painful moments of my personal life as if I'm not here? You act like I'm a character from a TV show)".

Lana managed to move on, and remained as well-groomed as ever, her glow not losing over time. Eventually, after years of maturing, even though she was hurt, she no longer hated the Onceler. Since she was very young, when these things were still mass-produced and easy to find everywhere, she kept newspapers, advertisements, magazine clippings and articles about herself, the Onceler and the two of them together. Although it was a painful moment, it was an important part of her life that she could not forget, and she kept them in a box for a while, until eventually putting them in a photo book, almost like a scrapbook. She kept photos of herself, photos of them in interviews, in public, articles, photos they took together, and even photos of the Onceler alone, because she did not want to forget him. He was special, even if he hurt her in the end. The two were too young and immature at the time to understand what they were doing, and even though she didn't forgive him, she believed that Onceler was a good, young guy who was too absorbed in his fame and money, and the conversations and private moments he had with her were proof of that. He had a good heart, but didn't know how to manage all the responsabilities he held at once, and he was irresponsible, she never excused that. She held fond memories of him as a first crush from when she was younger.

Then the events of The Lorax happen, where the boy/Ted plants the seed in the center of town and the wall around Thneedville falls. When Onceler came out of his 40-year depression and started planting the truffula trees again, Lana showed up and said she was looking for the Onceler. He didn't recognize her at first, and based on her angry demeanor, was afraid she was one of the vandals who had invaded his property over the years, throwing rocks at his windows and even at him, and didn't reveal himself at first, saying he knew the Onceler, but didn't know if he should trust her enough to tell her where he was (She was angry because he scared her off with that warm, sweet reception he always offers to visitors).

Onceler was very rude to her and told her to leave, and she didn't like his attitude either, treating him equally badly, calling him a grumpy old man (they're both old at that point). The old man said he couldn't tell her about Onceler without knowing if she was trustworthy. Even though Lana hated talking about her past and being recognized by old people because of it, she had to remind him of who she was and why she was trustworthy, so she told him that she was "that Onceler's girlfriend from the golden era of Thneed Inc, Lana Grant" and was immediately recognized. Some of the Onceler's hidden feelings were rekindled and he felt a mix of guilt and nostalgia when he saw her again, it wasn't like he had fallen in love again, but the time he lived with her by his side left a big mark on him. Lana was also his first lover and crush, and even though they had a bad ending, he didn't forget how good that time was.

Onceler said, "Why do you want to talk to him? Hasn't he hurt you enough?" and Lana replied, "Because I'm getting old and I'd like to work this out with him before it's too late, because we've never worked this out. I know he was just as much of a kid back then as I was. He was irresponsible, yes, but I know he was good too. I just want you to tell me where he is so I can go to him." Onceler thought about it and eventually showed himself to her. The two talked. He told her that he deeply regretted what he had done in the past, and that he loved her, but he was too irresponsible to know how to deal with all the responsibilities he had on his hands, and that he was too greedy to realize what he was doing. He didn't look for Lana to apologize because he thought she didn't want to see him, and he was too immersed in his own shame and sadness that he never left the valley again. The rumors he made up about leaving town were lies, so people would forget about him. He didn't want to put himself in danger because he knew people could hurt him, and that's what he could do at the time. Today he has replanted much of the valley, and he wants to make up for what he did in the past, but he doesn't believe he deserves forgiveness.

He and Lana talked a lot and she forgave him, even though Onceler didn't think she deserved it. I didn't think much about this ending, but I like to think that she took him for a walk in the city, now a city that is no longer run by any corporation, and showed him the things she kept from when they were young. Happy ending.

Alternative Ending:

I decided to imagine what would have happened if Onceler had listened to/listened to the Lorax from the beginning. He could have invented something that harvested only the leaves of the trees, which could grow back in a few weeks, and gotten more seeds that could be replanted to compensate for the trees that had been cut down, and expanded the size of Truffula Valley and separated the sectors into "newly harvested", "harvested 1 week ago", "2 weeks ago", "3 weeks ago..." and "ready for harvest". They could have torn down the city walls to allow the citizens to see what he was doing to the valley, and since he was on good terms with Lana, they could have easily gotten married, something kind of like Elvis and Priscilla's marriage (of course, without the toxic parts). They could even have children when they got older. Let's consider this a non-canon universe.

Environment:

Even though the story still takes place in Thneedville, there are some changes that should be taken into consideration.

The period of Onceler's fame and the growth of Thneed Inc lasted for at max of 5 years, perhaps 3. Considering that his fame time lasted 4 years, let's consider that Thneedville got done in the second year after he got famous. This way, the characters spend some time living in Thneedville before Thneed Inc went bankrupt, unlike in the film, where Onceler went bankrupt before the city's renovation was even finished.

The city was done before the Onceler went bankrupt; in fact, considering that his fame lasted around 5 years, the city would have been done around the end of the second/start of the third year.

Onceler is very similar to O'Hare, everything in the town revolves around him and his company. Thneed Inc not only makes Thneeds, but they own a construction company, they make cars, they make food, they make roads, they make clothes, they sell apartments, and everyone in the town, even if they're not directly working at the Thneeds factory, they're working at these outbuildings of the company. Ice cream shops, supermarkets, hotels, everything. Onceler has been buying up the small, independent shops in Greenville so the residents basically have to choose between working for Thneed Inc or leaving town, as there is nothing else in Thneedville. There must be a small grocery store here, or maybe a flower shop there owned by some stubborn elder couple, but that's it. Soon they won't be able to handle the pressure and by the time we get to O'Hare's Thneedville everything will be taken over by the pure capitalism.

2012 and 1972 adaptations are both taken into account, so there's Onceler Hills, a plaza with a golden statue/fountain just like the one from 1972 and also the annexes in the city. However, at the same time there is still a residential neighborhood, shopping center, casinos, cinemas, squares, etc. Many people also live in apartments. The factory workers live in Thneedville as well.

Thneed Inc Building:

In addition to the factory that is outside the city, Thneed Inc has a building in the middle of Thneedville, where fashion shows, parties, photo shoots with models (not only in the Thneeds/clothing part but also in promotional photos for other products made by Thneed Inc), etc take place. The maintenance part of the company is at Onceler's hands at the factory, he is the one who deals with the most important part such as contracts, expansion of the franchise, partnerships, and the Onceler always has to be present in the media at parties, photos, interviews, fashion shows and others, so he's a very busy guy. All company decisions also need to be known to him before, usually coming from his secretaries Miss Funtzler, Miss O'Schmuntzler and his mother (even though this last one sometimes does things without asking him first)

The parties are held to gain engagement on TV and in the newspapers, to sign contracts with other important names in the business, to maintain commercial agreements, to share company updates through public speeches and more (by the way, TV's, cameras, reporters and newspapers are all 60s style). They also promote Thneed products and sometimes there are fashion shows to show the versatility of Thneeds as garments and diverse functions. The guests are celebrities, reporters, businessmen, as well as their own models, the Onceler family and some employees. There is a red carpet at the entrance where there are many photos and sometimes autographs signed, but this is more unusual.

Onceler lives at the penthouse. When you take the elevator up to the top floor, the only door available is his. He has security guards who only let him (or authorized people) in. When you enter his penthouse, the first thing you see is a large open area (apparently rounded) with a kitchen area, a living area, and a dining area with a table, all separated but part of one large room. On the opposite side of the entrance door, there are "windows" that surround almost half of the room and there's a balcony outside, it has curtains for privacy. After that, there is a hallway between the living room and kitchen with other rooms and he has a guitar room, a desk to work at home (he never uses it), several giant pictures with newspaper articles talking about his success, photos of him, and lastly, the bedroom. The bedroom is rounded like the living room, and also has large windows that look out onto a balcony, but Onceler has curtains to cover this balcony and have some privacy. In the bedroom, in a separate room, he also has a closet full of expensive and diverse clothes (which he usually doesn't wear) and a huge bathroom as well, with two sinks, a sofa, a bathtub and a shower. He also has another bathroom like this outside the bedroom, near the living room.

Ending:

This is all just a huuuge sketch. I don't know what to do with it except telling you guys the story through a tumblr post and make silly arts about it. I'm trying to figure out how to draw Onceler in my artstyle, and at the moment his face is looking a bit too much like other artists' Oncelers, he's a bit undercooked. But let's pray I find it out soon 😭

I took weeks writing this post.

#the onceler #onceler #fanfic #fanfiction #AU #alternate universe #OC #oc x canon #canon x oc #the lorax #the lorax 2012 #dr seuss #lana del rey #old hollywood #mariana's silly little arts

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tuliptired · 9 months ago

Text

He’s Good People

Chapter 1: Ask me, I Won't Say No (How Could I?)

Pairing(s) Reader/Ray, Reader/Egon Reader/Winston

Summary: Janine's always told you that you had a strong "line of fate". Whatever that meant. When you lose your job and apartment, however, you're offered a (temporary) fix with her ever-generous employers.

Hopefully part of a series! A little Ray-centric- Check Ao3 for more tags and warnings.

read it on Ao3!

Today was the big day. You’d be working at your job at a major TV station for just about forever now, and it was about due time for a promotion. The pay was decent, enough to clothe and feed you and have the slightest amount left over, and you got to specialize in what you loved all day, everyday, while contributing to American television. The varieties of the entertainment industry.

But you were starting to come to the realization that maybe your skills were a little underappreciated. You worked quickly, feverishly, and passionately, after all. You’d be damned if you said you hadn’t been dreading turning up everyday for a little while now. You put off asking, figuring that you should be grateful to be employed at all, but coaxing from your very opinionated best friend you gained while interning in Brooklyn proved fruitful, as she sat on the phone with you.

“You’re worthy. You’re deserving, they’re lucky to have you, you’re doing them a favor by showing up,” she repeated the affirmation to you, undoubtedly breaking a rule or two as she used her work phone from her receptionist job for a personal call. She'd been your biggest supporter, from every new hairstyle or investment, and she knew you were more than capable of whatever a higher position could offer you. You, on the other hand, stared at your reflection in the mirror. You don't really know what you'd do if turned down. You need this, your heart clenches a bit.

You steeled your nerves, taking a deep breath in and a light breath out. “I am worthy, I am deserving, they’re lucky to have me, I’m doing them a favor by showing up,’ you chanted. The chord of the landline strained against the stretch you put it through from the kitchen to the bathroom.

“That’s the spirit,” she praised you on the other end. Before you could respond, a sharp beep interrupted you, and she groaned lightly.

“Other line. Listen, I gotta go, but I want details. You know where to call me- and call me as soon as you get word,” she ordered you, causing the fear in your stomach to reemerge, the moment coming closer. But, her voice did make you feel better, in a way.

“Thanks, Janine, pray for me,” you half-begged, desperation unashamedly showing in your tone.

“Mazel.” The phone clicked.

You took what felt like the hundredth calming breath, and it was only 9 am. As you exited your apartment, the world woke up around you, the walk to the bus a little more packed as you made your way down town. On the bus, there was an ad for the Ghostbusters across from you. You laughed to yourself at its presence, a square poster of the 4 men simply standing in a line. The only other design is a little tagline- ¨who you gonna call?¨

You´d always wanted to ask Janine about her place of employment, naturally. She only ever brushed it off as a day job that took up too much of her free time, but you were a bit more curious than that. Believing in ghosts and spirits and monsters wasn't something you were necessarily taken with, but if there's a ghost up somewhere in Albany, it's not your problem. Leave it to the professionals, if they wanted a call so bad. Their pseudo-celebrity statuses were admirable, though- their ads for drinks and toys and services took up 70% of your network’s commercial breaks.

You were practically dripping with a mix of assuredness, sweat from your walk, and a tinge of fear as you clocked in when inside the giant, bustling company. The walk to your workspace felt like you were walking into war, going over every point you wanted to make the moment you saw your supervisor. He was a little hard to get to, really. He was even able to convince you that the due date he had given you in writing was much, much earlier- and you believed him, until you were working overtime with your entire department for the 3rd night in a row for something you had a month to finish.

You were intercepted halfway to your desk, and your confidence dropped to your toes as his smile wasn’t the half-there, busy and distracted one he often held. It was deliberate. He wanted something from you.

“Y/N! Goodmorning, goodmorning. I need a quick word with you.” God damnit.

His sudden appearance derailed your ability to form respectable sentences, your fingers fumbling with the lapels of your shirt cuffs. “Actually, I was looking for you too,” your tone betraying you.

He led you into his office suite, a brown set of rooms that got less presentable as they went from reception to official-one-desk-two-chairs territory. He stopped you in the hall, where ambient lights illuminated pictures of happy talent, tv producers, and writers who struck it big under his guidance smiling big with awards in hand. “Spare a minute?” He put his hand on your shoulder. Asshole, you can’t refuse. You were already there.

He didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s been a real busy season, huh? Lots of work. Lots of talented stars. SNL’s really jumping off, isn’t it?” You smiled with a bit of pride, knowing the time you and your colleagues put into the success of an experimental show like it, albeit behind the scenes.

“I’m gonna tell it to you like it is, ‘cause you’re a smart kid. You went to Columbia, right?”

Flattery. You answered anyway. “Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna put some time aside for my masters,” you try and broach the conversation back into your favor. Tell him about your ambitions, your qualifications, and the job will fall into your lap.

He had an unreadable expression, his manufactured appearance unwavering. His mid length brown hair and brown suit nearly blended in with his decor. A blank slate was important in entertainment, he told you one day, you want to be what boys and girls want to see, he said. “You’re gonna have a hell of a lot of time then, kid.”

You blinked, words tumbling out your mouth before you could measure them. “I beg your pardon?” You asked earnestly.

“Lots of work. Lots of talented stars,” he repeats. “It costs a lot to keep the boys and girls happy. Too much to keep certain departments as big as they are.” He swallows, picking up where he left off. “I figured, you’d feel better hearing it from a friendly face then some corporate robot, huh?”

You don’t remember how you got to the payphone, but you did, and you shakily entered Janine’s work number as tears and snot threatened to spill over the dam that was your face.

So there you were, her by your side, sitting under a tree in a nearby park, leaving work for a “personal emergency”, ignoring the voice of her boss as she made her way downtown. You felt bad, coating her shoulder in your sadness, but you couldn’t help it.

“He sounds like a total jackass,” she insisted. “I would’ve put my foot up his…¨ She looked down at you, your cries resigned to snotty sniffles. “You okay?” She asked softly.

You looked at her weakly. “Am I a loser?” You choked out, feeling absolutely miserable. This was rock bottom if you’ve ever been there. Jobless and bawling in a public park.

Janine grabbed your hands. “Don’t ever say something like that again. I’m telling you, your fate is something bigger.” Your eyes got glossy again, and she shook you around forcefully.

“No more crying! C’mon,” she hoisted you to your feet, head spinning and tears dried out of whiplash. Silently, you let her drag you to a grocery without protest, watching numbly as she stopped at a candy counter with you clinging to her arm.

“10 Crunch bars. And as many of those red things that can fit in the bag.” The man behind the counter obliged, not without looking at the pair of you like a mother and her overgrown child. She took the paper bag, and loaded up another basket with the supplies to make your favorite dinners from the grocer, not forgetting a large tub of speciality ice cream.

“I can’t ask you to buy all of this,” you said softly, but your voice broke into a quiver as you realized what buying something entailed. “Now that I have no-no money,” your voice, wet and weak, about to break out into another session of hot tears.

“If you start crying again I’m leaving you at customer service,” She threatened as she opened her wallet, making her way to the cashier.

“D’you think the corner takes applications?” You walked in tandem to the bus that’d take you home.

“We can find out together. I’ve been telling you, there are men at Playboy who’d pay good money for-”

“WOW, Janine, your voice is a little loud, no?”

Her attempt at making you smile worked, and you felt a little better at her side on the bus. Stuffing the sack of candy in your bag, the bus rocked gently as Janine rested the large grocery haul on her lap.

You were ready to just fall into bed, with or without Janine there, but your droopy eyes were snapped open upon seeing a white envelope taped to your front door. With further inspection, Janine watched sadly as you read that it was a water bill due ridiculously soon. The best you could do was knock your head against the plaster of the wall and hand her your keys.

You had a whole feast of food to be prepared laid out on your counter as you lay on the couch, weak and unwilling to do anything as you pressed your face into the cushions. “Is your oven always this…not on?” Janine’s voice came confused from the kitchen, a bundt pan full of box-mix-cake batter in her left hand.

“You’re joking,” you peeled yourself from the couch, crouching in front of the oven. One spark, nothing. Two, nothing. Three, four, five…not even a match could lit the stovetop nor the burners in the oven. You slid to the ground, defeated. “Kill me, Janine.”

You could hear her click her tongue, before a tiny bleeping filled the room. She apologetically moved her way to your phone, explaining that her boss(es?) were paging her. While you wallow on the kitchen floor, she dials in a number and waits, a little frazzled.

“I told you, it was an emergency.” Her eyes look to yours, silently asking for permission to spill the worst day of your life to some guy you don’t know. You close them, surrendering as you melt into the ground. Maybe this was rock bottom?

“I'm by the theater, it’s a bus and a brisk walk…you can manage without me for a night…4 grown men can’t problem-solve?...Peter- friend of mine got laid off, and they’re pretty upset, ok?...Yes. No, not that one…yes, that one. Ask them yourself, Peter.” She glances at you, annoyed as she holds the receiver out. Not having a speck of pride left, you trudge over, taking the phone limply.

The line is silent for a bit, except for distant, deep voices you can’t hone in on, expect for the fact that they were arguing.

“Hello?” A voice starts.

“Hello.”

“Real sorry about your job, dear. Tell Janine to bring you around and we can show you a good-” Whoever the hell is on the other end is interrupted by a frantic voice, interrupting as they take hold of the call.

“Hello? This is Dr. Stantz. Uh, Ray is better. Janine told my friend Peter here about your work situation, we wanted to let you know we’re real sorry. Let Janine know she’s not in trouble, but she needs to get here soon, ok?” Dr. Stantz sounds genuinely sympathetic, and you can’t help but be comforted by his words.

“Thanks,” is all you can manage, if not rudely then a little flat.

“If you ever need anywhere to go, our headquarters are open! We have food, hot water, Janine,”’ he laughs on the other end, a little awkward. And a little on the nose for comfort. You react freely in the safety of the private nature of a phone call.

“Thank you?” You answer honestly. He clears his throat.

“If I could hear from Janine, please?”

You wordlessly pass it back to your unamused friend, and she listens to the other end.

A loud, low rumbling in your laundry closet cuts through the calm. You glance at each other, assuming the worst as you swing the door open.

Bubbles spill out onto the floor, your washer unit shaking and leaking onto the worn out wood. All things, this is what gets you the hardest. Your washer can´t break now. Out of all the horrible, awful things, your washer can not break now. You can't even cry, it's so ridiculous. Standing incredulously in ankle deep suds, all you can do is stare at the appliance spit and sputter liquid onto the floor. Janine breaks your bout of shock, pressing the phone into her shoulder so she can reach you. Her voice urges you to unplug it, and before you could break down again, you´re leaning against the lid, with the sudden realization that all the water and soap could start an electrical fire.

You have to lean your entire torso against the top, arms fumbling for the chord buried somewhere in the dark space against the wall. Soon, your legs are dangling over the edge. It would be a funny sight, if the machine wasn't shaking so monstrously underneath you.

Suddenly, there's a large hand on the back of your thigh. It was a cold, unnerving touch, sharp points digging into the flesh of your leg. As you could look back, to tell Janine to let go, your receiver drops to the ground. Her face is ghastly pale, and she´s suspended in a scream. As you look down towards the front of the washer, the large, reptilian claws try to grab you, to pull you into the washer with it. Your eyes widen, and you scream as you clamor to get out of its reach, to no avail.

Janine’s at your side, prying the digits off of your skin, the claws no doubt leaving marks in their wake. You climb to the top of the machine, legs to your chest, and she slams the door on the arms enough times to force it shut.

Catching her breath, she backs up to the phone slowly, her eyes on you as if you yourself were whatever beast residing in your washer.

¨Ray.¨ She says his name as if there’s a 3rd party in your little apartment listening. ¨You´re coming to us.¨

4 men in brown jumpsuits are at your door. They look much more frazzled than they do in their ads. There´s…a crocodile? A monster? Living in your house? Your brain can´t form cohort thoughts as you blink, eyes drying out. One of them tries to console you as you sit in your armchair, breaths shallow and skin cold. You can’t even freak over the local legends standing in your home.

You only recognized one of them personally, from Janine´s birthday a few months ago. You couldn't stay the whole night, only dropping by to give her well wishes and leave her gift behind, but you can remember a brief conversation. You arrived around the same time, and he had opened the entrance to the building for you with ease, the handle notoriously always needing a bit of extra effort to haul the door open after being buzzed up. He walked you, explaining that her boyfriend forgot to pick up the cake, pointing to the box in his hand, which you shared a laugh over. In the time it took to get into her apartment, he explained that he was Dr. Ray Stantz, and he worked with her. You ingenuously told him he was the splitting image of a young comedian on the show you work for, to which he smiled, wide and a little embarrassed. Your conversation was cut short- Janine emerged from another room and dragged you over to some corner to see a mutual friend.

One of the men flipped between the paper on a notepad, fixing the arms of his glasses. ¨If you don´t mind, we'd like to see the markings the ghost left on you.¨ He requests in a baritone voice, dark and monotone.

¨Egon!¨ Janine scolded him, rubbing your shoulders as you sat.

¨Only if you´re okay with that,¨ another mediated, as ¨Egon¨ opened his mouth. He cleared his throat. ¨For research. Their research. Not mine. I’m not really a science guy-¨

¨Unbelievable,¨ Janine mumbled, ushering you up and out the chair. Before she could take you out the apartment, Ray grabs the doorknob- not to keep you inside, but to catch her attention. He looked at you both gently, if not a little urgently.

¨We´ll get rid of it no problem, promise. Real exciting thing you got living in your apartment.” He gives you both a soft smile, before opening the door and letting you out. Before you cross the threshold, she turns her head to address them as you grab your bag.

¨There better not be a hair out of place!¨ She shoots eaaaach and every one of them a look, the targets stiffening in the process. The man with the voice you recognize as Peter over the phone bids her farewell with a mock salute.

¨Yes ma´am, Janine!¨

¨I´m sorry about those guys. They´re,¨ she pauses, hand on her chin as you sit on the stoop, ¨the best in their field.¨ A little hard to believe, Peter had almost knocked down one of your trinkets on the way in and put it back a little too haphazardly for taste.

“They seem like interesting people,¨ is all you can manage. ¨Egon-¨

¨Don´t mind him. His brain´s big, but a little empty. He’s a peach.”

¨I was gonna say he was Columbia´s resident myth. I just couldn´t remember his name for the life of me.¨

Janine perks up a bit. ¨Oh? What was he like?¨ She pries, always in the mood for a little gossip.

You roll your eyes, albeit not really annoyed. ¨Well, I remember every girl in my major wanted to be the one to ¨break¨ him. Lots of turned down dates, lots of time wasted pretending to care about mushrooms,” you laughed at the memory. ¨He's still, just, not like that, huh?¨

Before she could answer, the entrance from the stoop is swung open, and said man is barrelling down the steps to the white van they tote around, hastily opening the backdoors and pulling something out.

¨What's wrong?” You and Janine say simultaneously.

He turns to you, pausing mid-action. ¨Nothing,¨ he shuts the van door, making his way back up the steps at a much more measured pace. ¨Everything is fine.¨ Your apartment window slides open, impossibly quick.

¨EGON! Hurry up and get back here, it's got Winston!¨ Peter´s head is half out the window, face dirty and shaken up. Egon blinks once, and then resumes his pace back up to your apartment.

After what felt like half an hour, the 4 men stagger down the steps, worn and beat as you lift your head off Janine´s shoulder to asses the damages.

¨We got him,¨ Ray manages a weak smile, holding a machine billowing sickly chemical smoke.

¨He got us, ¨ Peter says flatly as he leans against Winston, who´s jaw is sporting a deep bruise. Hair disheveled, faces dark, and clothes stained, the men breathe heavily as they can finally relax, dragging themselves to the van. Janine stops Egon, taking his glasses off and saving a lens from popping out.

¨He was real mean,¨ Ray explains, ¨but a Class III of that size! Insane! I´d love to find out where he came from. Amphibious, malevolent ghost living in my washer- I´d pay to be you!¨ He´s excitable, even when his hands have light cuts littering them, his palms raw and pink.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t expect you all to get,” you pause to address their injuries. All things that will manifest after a hard-night’s rest. “So banged up.” You cringed.

“It’s nothing.” Peter started. “Eges, gimme your calculator, I need to run the bill.”

“No way!” Winston protested, hitting Peter on his tender arm, making the man recoil in pain.

“Don’t worry about the pay,” Egon cut in as he examined the trap in Ray’s hands. “We should be paying you , this particular ghost opens avenues for more experimentation. And I don’t mean that lightly.” His inflection remained the same throughout his entire sentence.

“More?” Peter complained.

“The workbench is getting crowded, Egon. Not everything can be a breakthrough.”

“You can never be too sure,” Ray insisted, opening the van door for the men to haul in. “If this thing’s connected to that beast back in Coney Island that we’re makin’ big strides.” He turned to you and Janine.

You couldn’t help but ask, noting the deep scuff marks on the workboots each man wore. “Can I count on getting my deposit back?” Ray couldn’t quite meet your eyes.

He chuckled weakly. “Sure-”

“We blasted a chemical-leaking electrical machine inside an enclosed space with unregulated units of atomic energy. If you don’t want a malignant disease, I suggest finding a hotel,” Egon said from the front, the door still open. You could hear the thump of a boot against a car seat immediately after.

Janine bit her lip, thinking, suddenly unphased about how they didn’t heed her warning. “I’ve got my sister and her kids staying over,” she apologized. You weren’t mad, you knew how cramped her place could get, but also how much she cared for her family. Plus, Louis’ spring allergies would drive you up the wall. Ray’s frown deepened, before his face lit up. He got modestly close to you, lowering his voice.

“Tell you what, I wasn’t joking when I said we have space at the firehouse. Spend the night, it’s the least we can do.” He smiled softly in your little aside. His words reminisced of the one’s exchanged between dozens of young men and women during late nights at the TV station when they think no one’s around, and one of them is leaning against the wall. It was always sweet, and a little awkward knowing you’d have to make coffee across from them the next morning, but you couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. Lord knows it’s been a long time before anyone’s even thought of you that way.

You don’t have any other options, really. At least not on short notice. You eventually nod, apologizing for impeding on their space.

“Don’t worry about it! My grandma used to tell me- be a fine fellow if you want faithful friends at your funeral.” What a boyscout. You couldn’t stop the grin that spread across your face.

“There’s that smile. C’mon, we’ll take you and Janine.” That definitely made you feel something, somewhere.

In the front, Ray drove while Egon sat next to him, and in the back, Peter sat on your right, Winston on your left, and Janine ending up having to sit herself on your lap. Ray blushed and apologized as he turned down the radio once the car’s engine turned on, speakers playing 70s rock directly into your ears.

“We never formally introduced ourselves. Not me, at least,” Winston spoke up at your side, Janine leaning forward so he could see you properly. “That’s Dr. Peter Venkman, Dr. Egon Spengler, you know that guy,” he pointed to Ray who looked at him in the rearview mirror with mock-anger, “and I’m Winston Zeddemore.” What a friendly man.

“You don’t like the sound of ‘doctor Zeddemore’?” You asked quietly, noting how he was a little out of place with the group of scientists.

He shook his head, not offended. “Not me. I would be- my dad wanted me to go the minister route, but I’m former air force,” he explains.

“He’s still smart,” Peter adds at his friend’s defense.

“I know I am,” Winston sits back in his seat.

“Hey, you two,” Ray starts as he gets closer to the firehouse, “we have a bust in a few minutes. We’ll be gone for most of the evening. You can sleep, eat something. Ask Janine to read your palm!” He adds enthusiastically.

You laugh at that as the car pulls into the large garage. “She told me I had a strong “line of career”. Funny how that worked out?” She pushed your head back with her hand.

“Fate! It’s also the line of fate, ” she reiterated as Winston scoots back to allow you both out.

“Is it fate that you’ll find a bill for $1000 under our pillows?” Peter mumbles, as Winston slides the door shut again. You can see the guys bickering through the windshield as Ray pulls out, honking the horn twice and flicking on the siren.

Inside, Janine slumps into her chair behind the front desk as you look around in awe. As soon as you open your mouth to ask if you can help with anything, she’s herding you up the stairs.

“You’ve had a horrible day,” she states, “sleep.” Opening the door to a repurposed fireman’s quarter’s, you swallow thickly.

“I can’t sleep in their beds,” you protest.

She surveys the room, examining each bed. “Winston, Egon, that one’s definitely Peter’s..Ray.” She stops in front of his bed. “He won’t mind.”

You can’t even retaliate before she’s out the door, shutting it behind her. Sighing, you gave in, unbuttoning the top few bottoms of your oh-so-professional promotion-guaranteed outfit. You were pretty spent. But to sleep in this nice man’s bed? Maybe you were overstaying your welcome. A yawn disturbs your thoughts. Okay, you were exhausted, and he offered…

You had the most melancholy nap of your life, the kind you can only achieve after crying all day. You tossed and turned a little, walking up in the weird not-sleeping-falling-back-asleep state a few times. You hugged the thick comforter around you, lulling yourself back to sleep as the natural smell of the bed made its way into your dreams.

You dreamt of being in highschool again, crushing and writing diary entries about a boy who smelt nice and made you laugh. It all felt so cathartic, that when you eventually dragged yourself awake you realized where the nostalgic scent was coming from- Ray’s bed. Your face got a little warm as you were broken out of sleepiness, remembering where you were. As you slowly sat up, your back pressed against something behind the pillow. On impulse, you reached backwards, pulling out a worn, soft Smokey the Bear plushie. You smiled to yourself at the sight, forgetting your embarrassment.

You crept out the room, praying to whoever was watching over that the men hadn’t returned and seen you slobbering all over their pillows. To your relief, it was only Janine, nursing many papers spilled over her narrow desk.

“What’s this?” You read the documents, what seem to be job reports that get more and more detailed the more unorganized the desk looks. Janine has different colored stamps balanced on her lap, as she juggles with the stability of a thick, 3 ringed diary against her computer screen.

“Notarizing,” is all she says, trying to bite back her frustration. Moving behind her, you can see that her thick tome his open to a double page spread of the different ghost classifications. You found her problem- the hand writing in the journal was abysmal, notes were scratched out, rewritten, written over.

“Do you need any help?” You ask, picking up a paper that fluttered to the floor.

She sighs, pushing her desk chair out and rubbing her eyes. “I need a nap myself.”

She disappears up the staircase, and you hear a door unlike the one with the beds fall shut. Glancing at her desk- and at the clock, you lower yourself into the chair. It’d be a while until they were back, right? And you really couldn’t leave this mess for Janine. It wouldn’t hurt to give her a hand. Plus, stamps were always a funtime.

You’d been stamping for an hour. Your eyes bulged at the clock, and then back at the neat, orderly piles of reports organized by date and class. Suddenly, the garage opens, and the men file out. Ray smiles upon seeing you, holding pizza boxes in his hands.

“I’m sorry! Janine just needed a break and..” your voice falters as Peter whistles at your work.

“You look nice behind a desk. Maybe we should get an extra chair and keep you with Janine full time. And you could understand my handwriting,” he raises his eyebrows, zipping down the front of his jumpsuit.

“Thanks for helping her out,” Ray takes a look, pleased at the sight, passing the boxes to Peter who takes them upstairs. “You’ve got a knack for clerical work!” Odd compliment, but you’re willing to take it.

Egon’s curiosity gets the better of him, peering at the documents as he takes the stairs up. You swear you can hear him hum contently as he looks down over the railing, Winston behind him.

“Wanna eat with us? We didn’t know what you’d like, and we figured everyone likes pizza,” Ray starts to shrug his own suit off.

“I’m sorry, again. I take your secretary, your money, your room, now your food.” Ray shakes his head hard, closing his locker. He waves his hands dismissively.

“I’m telling you, it’s nothing at all. You’re good people.” His colloquialism makes you smile, stubbornly. You cave, following him towards the stairs as he walks backwards toward it. As you reach the second floor, the other 3 men were already seated at a table, distributing the food amongst themselves. You freeze beside Ray, nerves picking back up for whatever reason.

He leaned over and whispered in your ear. “We’re not freaks, you know. Just, 200-something-pound men who walk around in onesies and share a bedroom.” You laugh yet again, feeling a little dumb whenever you’re next to him, giggling every few seconds like a teenaged girl.

Upon seeing you smile, Winston smiled in turn and pulled a chair out for you, putting the ice he held to his jaw down for a second. Gosh, you’d have to apologize for that again. Sitting down, he even passed you a plate of food, the two biggest slices out of all the others.

“You live near the Benjamin Fairhooke theater?” He asks, knowing it’ll spark interest in Egon.

“Old spooky haunted Abraham Lincoln theater, Winston.” Peter takes a sip from a beer can.

“Lincoln was shot in D.C.”

“Never seen it.”

You wipe your hands. “Abandoned for years. Some kids got in trouble for sneaking in. They were pretty spooked- they say they saw a headless body walking around.” Egon perks up at that. “They’ve got some strict security there now.” Your brain pings for a second, remembering a not so legal secret you had been holding.

“I had a friend who used to do city maintenance there, before they abandoned the refurbishing project. He moved to the west, and left me with the masterkey.”

Egon’s eyes widen, ever so slightly. “I’ve been trying to get a reading on that place, but Ray’s not willing to come with me.”

“Ray’s not willing to break in with you, Spenges,” he cuts in.

“Do you want the key?” You offer, before you could think about what you said.

Peter groaned, slumping back in his chair. “You’re encouraging him.”

“Very much so,” Egon nodded.

After the food was finished, mostly by the 200-something-pound men not realizing how much food they really took. You didn’t mind- you were the guest, after all. Ray suddenly realized that it was fairly late, and you still didn’t have an official place to stay. As the guys stood up to get ready for the night, he spoke up quickly.

He looked hopeful. “You don’t mind staying the night, do you?” Before you could answer, he starts to speak again. “Our extra bed hasn’t been broken in yet, you can take mine if you’d like!” Neither of you realize it, but Peter’s watching with more intent than the other 2 men.

“Where would you’d sleep, Raymond?” Peter’s suddenly interested in the paint chipping on the doorframe.

“The extra bed, I suppose”

“That’s no good, you’ll mess up your back”

Something was unspoken between the two of them, their eyes having a conversation of their own. Ray’s big brain slowed a bit. “The…loveseat?” He offered, as if asking for permission.

Peter made a buzzer noise. “I’ve already tried- it’s too small. And ocupado. Janine. She’s tiny. We’ll wake her up, send her home- you two figure it out.” Peter corales the other two, confused men out the room and down the hall.

Ray looked stumped, and a blush was slowly creeping from his ears. He seemed to be battling something in his head, before he refused the force tempting him as he shook his head. “I can take the floor,” he decides.

“What! I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking me. I’m telling you.” He wouldn’t budge. He started to clean up the mess his friends ever so gracefully left behind, before you moved to help him.

“Just let me,” you responded to his face. Ever the host. You cleaned together quietly, but comfortably.

“I want you to know,” he bent over to put a spray back under the sink, “that we know what it’s like. To lose our jobs.” He stood to face you. You had a flash a shame hit your features, which you really couldn’t help. To the Ghostbusters’ credit, they had a good way of making you forget things.

His face was understanding. “Really, we do. We started this whole thing ‘cause we lost our jobs. It was a dumpy feeling.” You purse your lips, turning your gaze down. His head followed your eyes, and your stomach felt a little woozy as he physically commanded your attention.

“I wouldn’t say it so much if I didn’t think you deserved it.”

You let out a soft puff of air out your nose at the potential to make a joke. “You’re ready to believe me?”

His serious face melted into that of pride, his mouth splitting into a full-toothed grin.

“You’re something else. Hell yeah, I am!” He squeezed your shoulder, before having you follow him down the steps and into a basement. He stuck his head into a door and said goodnight to Egon before entering what looked like a laundry room.

He swiped a few articles of clothing on hangers, hanging over most of the room’s perimeter. There were t shirts, longjohn’s, plain sweatshirts, smocks, of varying sizes, though they look like they’d seldom been used. He settled on gray sweat pants and a gray sweatshirt, holding them up to you from a respectable distance to measure.

“The firemen before us left all this. Joke’s on them, right?” He folds them loosely, handing them to you before rummaging through a cabinet for a toothbrush.

Your face unintentionally twitches as he holds the plastic wrapped brush out to you, wondering if it’s been here as long as the clothes you had in your arms.

He glances down at it once, before waving your fears away. “Janine bought new one’s last week, I promise.”

After muttering an apology and leaving for you to change, he leads you back to the sleeping quarters, opening the door slowly. Winston was fast asleep, always the first to be out when the day’s work took a particular toll on him. Ray listened to the silence for a second, piecing together Peter’s absence and the sudden running of the shower down the hall. He leans over, excusing himself to get ready for the night and letting you know there was a bathroom connected to the room, albeit very small.

After a quick brushing of your teeth, you emerge at almost the same time as him. He nearly jumps out of his skin noticing his stuffed animal still on his bed, stuttering how’d that get there’ s and it’s for memorie’ s.

“Don’t be mean to him,” you mock-scold him in a whisper. His cheeks are still pink. He’s wearing a matching pajama set- which was enough to make you shake your head and giggle to yourself.

He looks down, noticing his pink pajamas. “It’s light red . And you should be disappointed I passed on my Dr. Thirteen robe.” He remembers the bear still in his hands.

“You want him?” He holds the little toy out to you, Smokey’s been very clearly well loved, as his fur and outfit are fading slightly. “Take good care of him,” he looks as if he’s parting with a child.

“Promise.”

He makes his way to a wardrobe as quietly as possible, pulling out a pillow and blanket for his sleep on the floor. “You want new ones? Sheets, pillowcase? I’m not sure how nice mine are.”

Your mind flashes to the nice smell his bed had, and you promptly shook your head.

He sets up on the floor, unconsciously choosing to sleep at your technical-side. You set Smokey up next to you, tucking him in, watching Ray lay out the bedding, before he sits back and sighs up at you.

“I know it’s not the Marriott. Sorry you hafta share a room with us.” Sure, he could’ve set his den up next to Winston, or taken Egon’s currently unoccupied bed, but neither of you were gonna complain. He refused to even entertain the idea of you sleeping on the floor of whatever the room the loveseat was in, so this was how it would play out. “I can imagine you don’t often bunk with people you just met before.”

“It’s just a night,” saying it was a little useless- you had no idea how long you’d need to stay with them. You had no idea about anything at all anymore.

He fell silent. “A night?” You couldn’t decipher why his voice had a despondent tone.

“However long you’ll have me.”

A pause. “As long as you wanted.”

The clock on the opposite wall was ticking softly. It was getting late, 11:30.

“Goodnight, Ray. And thank you, really. Thank you.”

“Goodnight. I can…wake you up before the guys do, if that’s more comfortable for you. We’ll figure something out, ok?”

You nod, and he turns off the lamp on the side table above his head.

12:05. A freshly showered Peter opening the door to two bodies out of the three, softly breathing.

“Raymond Stantz. You were supposed to get into the bed, too.”

“Go to bed, Peter.” He pulled the covers over his eyes.

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