#I guess he figured 'I really ought to say hi to these people they've lived in Henford quite a while'

[victorluvsalice]

-->Only for her and Smiler to decide they wanted to play ping-pong together, and for Alice to run off to the ping-pong table before I could stop the interaction. *sigh* Damn werewolf super-speed... I was like “fine, okay, you can play a game of –

“Hmm. Actually. Hang on. Why not play a round of juice pong instead? Be something DIFFERENT for me to watch, anyway.”

And so they did, tossing balls at each other’s cups of juice. As you do. XD And damn, Alice absolutely SMOKED Smiler, getting all four of their cups while they only got ONE. I think I see why Smiler only plays regular ping-pong with people these days. XD Sorry Smiler! Maybe this will make you a little less obsessed with the table!

-->Anyway – Victor finished the tending and the fertilizing while this was all going on (super vitality on the remaining oversized crops, and some pet poops on a few nearby flowers) – as he was busting for a pee and dirty, I had him transportalate up to the white-and-blue bathroom and hit the toilet and the shower while Alice went on a hunt and Smiler entered the greenhouse to get their plasma fruit and herbalism supplies (along with some pears and plantains) before super-selling the rest. Well, ALMOST all of the rest – the way they did it, the apple tree got missed in every super-sell batch, so they ended up harvesting that too. XD Well, they can use ‘em for nectar! While that was going on, Victor finished his shower and cleaned some more spoiled food out of the fridge –

-->And then I spotted Ian Moody standing on the porch for some reason, being pestered by a couple of specters. I decided to have Victor save the poor old guy and sent him out to give one of the ghost blobs a Potion Of Good Fortune – the gift was a hit, fortunately, and Victor got another lump of wraith wax, which he promptly sold to an oddity collector because we have ENOUGH of that stuff, thank you. XD Ian, thus freed, immediately headed back out into the world as Alice returned from her Hunt, mouth full of meat and Fury high. (I guess he saw all this and thought “NOPE.” Which, fair.) I looked at her devouring her steak while all aglow, looked at the in-game clock and saw it was noon –

And was like “you know what, I’m not going to the store today. They can just have a chill day at home for a change.” So I directed everyone to hang out on the porch together for a bit while Alice finished her meal, then Smiler went over to shape the bonsai into a freezer bunny shape (as they were feeling very playful) and had Victor get a REAL lunch of mushroom steak (as he was trying to eat ice cream – you have to eat REAL FOOD sometimes, Victor) –

[elvisabutler]

three little words

summary: soulmates aren't always instant love stories in the world. in fact, you never know when you've found them until they admit their feelings to you. this- this is one of those times. funny how it takes the weirdest things to make people admit feelings. fandom: elvis ( 2022 ) rating: t pairing: steve binder x female reader word count: 1742 warnings: pining. soulmates being dumb. jealousy. elvis being elvis. brief mention of cheating ( elvis related ). pushy mothers. mentions of how steve tried to get in touch with elvis post special only to not get through. author's note: so @blurredcolour was like please feed me a crumb of steve binder and since really i had no plans on doing an austin or an elvis piece for valentines i figured what's the harm in doing a steve one and a jerry one. if i do a late piece for either austin or elvis don't question it. post sick/healing brain is a fun idea magnet. this not my favorite piece but my brain went to a place, i followed it, this was that result

Steve has always found Valentines to be a bit silly. Maybe it's because he thinks if you care about someone you should show it to them all the time. Or maybe it's because he figures that it's just a way for men to make for stupid things they've done. Elvis is a prime example of that- the sort of man who gets his wife jewelry boxes for Valentine's with platitudes that ring hollow when you know what the man has a tendency to do. A shame really, because he does have a shockingly impeccable taste when it comes to certain items. All that woman wants is to enjoy her soulmate- but that's never been his sort of style, has it?

You on the other hand, oh you enjoyed the damn holiday even without someone to celebrate it with. You’ve enjoyed it from the very moment you discovered a startling amount of people find out who their soulmates are on the day. Something about love being in the air finally making it so people reveal their feelings. It’s not- Steve supposes it’s romantic in its own way, he does. It’s not his cup of tea but seeing you almost prance around the studio makes it a little better. 

Honestly, having you around the studio makes the whole holiday a little better. It makes him feel a little better when he realizes that once again Elvis has ignored his phone call and that the relationship their thought they had cultivated while working on his special meant something to the other man. If he was a joking man who lived and breathed soulmates like you do he'd have called him a platonic one. After all, you literally had called him that to his face despite Steve's embarrassment and the rancorous laughter of Elvis's Memphis Mafia and Bones'.

"Guess 'm gonna let you n' him be my Hollywood Mafia. Make sure I always got a place here." Elvis had joked at the time. Of course that would have meant staying in touch once he moved on to the hotter pastures of Las Vegas. That would have required you and Steve being able to see his show.

You can tell Steve is dwelling on it, hearing about how Elvis has a special show planned somewhere in the US or in Vegas, you aren't really paying attention to the particulars. You're just paying attention to how a man you love is zoning out in the most polite way he can to someone talking about it. You really ought to rescue him from his plight and that's just what you do in a flurry of a red dress that stops at your knees with black heels and generally looking like you'd be alright for a night on the town tonight and for work today.

"Steve, they need you for something in the control room, come on." You say, grabbing his hand to pull him away from the girl with a smile. "I'll bring him back eventually but in the meantime you might might want to get back to work.

Maybe the way you had rescued him was because you were a little jealous but- who could really blame you. Here was a man you're pretty sure was your one. Your romantic soulmate to end all soulmates and he refused to do the one thing that could confirm it. Never mind that he acted like your significant other nine times out of ten and that your mother wondered when he'd make a move and confirm your suspicions after all she wasn't getting any younger was she? So if seeing another girl talk to him when he clearly wasn't interested made your blood boil a little bit, well, you were just doing what a good soulmate would do. Or at the very least what a good friend would do.

When you're out of earshot of the girl, he allows himself the simple pleasure of pulling you a little closer so that he can murmur a thank you in your ear before pulling away just a smidge. "I was thinking I was going to get stuck there."

A moment passes before you laugh quietly. "You would have. Probably until you agreed to go with her EP's show."

The laugh that leaves his mouth is a little bitter. "Jokes on her I can't even get you and me in there. Unless she's got connections we don't-"

"Sold out means sold out." You finish squeezing his hand as you pull him into an empty dressing room. "You tried to call him again?"

He nods, frowning as he flops down on the couch, briefly forgetting your joined hands and pulling you down next to him. "Couldn't get through- wanted to surprise-" He trails off shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. Should just buy tickets like a normal person stop acting like-"

"He's our friend? That we're his little Hollywood Mafia?" You scoff, allowing yourself to curl into him as he makes room for you almost naturally. "Please at this point I'm about to march down there myself and shove my heels up his-"

"Y/N!" Steve laughs, trying to swat at your arm only to have you barely avoid him. "Don't shove your heel up his ass. It's- That's a waste of your pretty heels."

There it is- one of those moments you feel like maybe it's there, maybe there really is that little soulmate spark that you'll just have to add some kindling to to turn it into a roaring fire. At the very least it's one of those moments that make you think he wants to make a move on you and take a plunge where you two are more than just friends and colleagues. Later on you'll like to blame it on the air or blame it on the lingering jealousy or maybe just blame it on everything else, but you can't resist the urge to just move a leg so that one of your heels are in his lap. You hear his sharp intake of breath and smile a little.

"You like my heels?" You ask innocent as can be and prompting him to look at you with narrowed eyes.

"I always do." It's a simple answer but it has your breath catching in your throat for some reason. His keeps staring at you almost as if he's trying to solve a riddle before he sighs, shaking his head. "You always look nice in them. I've always wanted to see your entire collection laid out but-I'm not- We work together."

Your brain catches up very quickly to what he's saying and you swear your heart beats just a little faster as you lick your lips, your eyes drifting down to his own and laughing softly. "So do actors and actresses and other people- Are you trying to-"

"Admit that I like you on Valentines? Admit that I am a cliche I kind of hate? Admit that I had really been hoping to get into that show so I could tell you backstage and have E just laugh at both of us and throw some stupid party?" The words come out in almost a rush while at the same time sounding almost like he had rehearsed this in his head a million times. "Yeah. I am. I'm trying to admit that I've loved you ever since I first saw you but figured you might have been a little too much to handle at the time but now-"

You cut him off by practically forcing him down against the couch and placing a kiss to his lips. It's not that you don't want to hear it, it's not that you don't want to hear the love declaration but you also want to confirm that the fire you feel burning inside you and the strum of your body that has erupted from the moment he said I've loved you means that you have been right. Steve's been your soulmate this entire time and you've both been doing some stupid pining and for what reason. When you pull away he's got a stupid little grin on his face and you know your chest is heaving just a hair. "I love you too. And I don't know if you've noticed- this is far more romantic than the other way you could have done it."

"Yeah?" He asks, fiddling with his ascot just a little. "That's why we both feel it?"

The love, the connection the everything is what he means. You nod slowly, your hand moving up to grab the hand he has fiddling with his ascot.

"Yeah. You really are- We really are-"

"Soulmates." He finishes for you, moving both his hands to cup your face and pull you in for a gentle kiss. "Found out on Valentines like everyone else." He pauses and tilts his head a little. "Not that I don't want to kiss you more but how does dinner sound tonight. Celebrating everything. It's no dinner and a show but-"

"It's perfect." You respond, kissing him again and nuzzling at his nose. "It's dinner and my soulmate who I don't have to fight a million women for, I'm not going to complain. Besides we should get back to work. They really did actually need you in the control room I just-"

"Wanted to be selfish?" He laughs as you both move to stand up.

You swat at his arm before pulling him in for another kiss- God you're going to enjoy that until your dying breath. "Wanted to make you feel better but I see how you see me. See if I try and do anything nice for you again."

"It's your job as my soulmate. Love you." He whispers in your ear before pulling away, leaving the room first so things don't look too suspicious.

He was right about it being your job, which is why you might have spent the rest of the day trying to get through to Elvis through a series of phone games that had you almost tearing out your hair. You got what you wanted though, tickets for a show and backstage access that you ran by multiple people including Jerry and Joe who if no one else wanted you there could likely get the pair of you in.

It wasn't a Valentine's show but hey- it was something. It was something to make him happy. After all, hadn't he made you happy with those three little words.