#one week of for spring break and I’ve forgotten how to use a customer service voice over the phone

[esmeralda-juniper]

smh

[2manyfandoms2count]

AU Yeah August Day 13

Here’s another AU for @auyeahaugust! Will it evolve into a fully-fledged story? Probably. Hope you’ll enjoy! xxx

---

Day 13: Flower Shop AU

Marinette stared at the blank page in front of her, pensively tapping her pencil on her desk. She could have sworn that she’d found the perfect outfit to close her next fashion show as she was about to fall asleep the previous night. Something so spectacular, she knew she’d remember it in the morning.

Except morning had come, and still the design eluded her. She had raked her brain throughout breakfast, causing a couple of spills, during her commute to work, which had almost made her miss her stop, and ever since she’d sat down at her desk, three hours ago. The page just stared right back at her.

She sighed and dropped her pencil. Leaning her head on top of her hand, she took a look at her surroundings. She loved her office. She had furnished it in a way that let her creativity flow, and it did the trick - most of the time. The wide windows let the Spring sunshine in, the rays ricocheting against the smooth white surfaces of the cabinets, and the strategically placed mirrors. It made the room look larger, brighter. 

She had restrained what she considered to be her clutter to the right hand side of the room. A large cork board took up most of the wall space there, covered in overlapping swatches and sketches. On a low table below it were piles of fashion magazines, more or less old, that she kept for reviews or inspiration. A couple of picture frames also stood there, containing pictures of her parents and friends, and some good shots of herself at fashion shows.

Her eyes swept the room and landed on an intricate vase that sat opposite her. The cleaner, Mister Fu, always made a point to buy flowers for her office, and refused to put them on the company’s bill. It was his way of thanking her for keeping him on despite his old age. She’d never been able to tell exactly how old he was, but one thing was for sure: he was beyond French retiring age. He’d appeared seemingly out of nowhere when she’d established her brand, and worked around as the two-room office expanded into a three-room, a full floor, and now a whole building with Marinette Designs gaining more and more recognition in the fashion world. He cleaned, DIYed, decorated, and had a good eye for things that needed fixing, even if no one knew it yet. She’d come to consider his services as invaluable, especially the odd wisdom bits he provided every once in a while. She really could have done with his help today, maybe he could have helped her with the eluding dress. He’d taken the day off, though, and, if she judged by the wilting flowers that stood in front of her, had forgotten his self-appointed florist duties. Maybe that was what was blocking her flow.

She stood up and walked towards the vase, grabbed it, and made her way towards her office bin. It had been a wonderful bouquet, colourful and fragrant. The sweet smell of lilies remained as she picked them up and shook them gently above the vase, so as to get rid of as much water as she could before throwing them away. As she dropped them, a small card disentangled from the stems and landed next to the paper basket. Marinette crouched down and picked it up.

“The Cat’s fleowers.”She read, cringing at the bad pun. A little black cat holding a four-leafed clover sat under the flower shop's name, and above its address. 

She recognised the street as one she took every day, and the number as being between her metro station and the office, yet she couldn’t picture the shop. She shrugged, slid the card on her desk and walked back to her chair, plumping down in front of the taunting white page. 

Quarter of an hour of fidgeting, head scratching and deep sighing later, Marinette looked up again, having achieved nothing but weak sketches. The vase caught her eyes once again, its emptiness now bothering her. 

She glanced at her watch. Quarter to twelve. She’d be off for her lunch break soon, anyway. She grabbed her vest and handbag and left her office, giving a small wave at her secretary as she did so. 

She breathed in deeply and smiled contently as she exited the building, reveling in the warm sunshine that landed on her face. She dug out her butterfly sunglasses and walked down the street.

---

Adrien was bored. He usually never tired of working in Mr Fu’s flower shop, but today seemed like the exception. He’d met Mr Fu by chance one day as he came back from one of his modelling jobs, and had helped the old man carry large potted plants inside the premises. Adrien had fallen in love with the cool atmosphere and the plethora of flowers, which made him feel like he’d just stepped into a different corner of the world. He hadn’t hesitated when Mr Fu had asked him if he’d be interested in working there on the days he couldn’t come in. The fact he could wear a relaxed attire, rather than his usual smart dress, was a bonus. So far, no one had recognised him.

Although the shop was generally quite busy, it seemed like everyone had decided to shun flowers today. Not one customer had pushed the door to his little botanical heaven. Even Plagg, the resident black cat, had decided to loaf around, hidden somewhere between the azaleas and the hibiscuses. 

Adrien was about to give up and head out early for lunch when he heard the characteristic jingle of the door. His breath caught as an elegant lady walked in. She wore a simple, yet tasteful, red polka-dotted dress which had him instantly nickname her ‘Ladybug’. Her eyes were masked by large sunglasses. Standing in the midst of the flowers, she looked like a model in a jungle-themed photo shoot. He would know, having participated in more than one.

From where he stood, at the till, he had a good view of what was going on in the shop, without actually being seen, hidden behind the hanging plants section. He watched as she walked around hesitantly, examining the different bouquets on display. She turned around and her apparent perplexity made him shake out of his admiration. He strode out of his hiding place, smoothing his black and green apron as he did so.

“Hi, welcome to the Cat’s fleower’s, may I help you?” He wished there was something more original to say, but he could hardly go ahead and just offer her flowers. 

Marinette frowned slightly, although her expression was hidden by her bangs and glasses. There was something familiar about the man standing before her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She quickly scanned his appearance, her designer eye turning into critique mode, and tried to identify where she’d seen him before. He was, she would say, conventionally handsome, in an ‘I don’t try’ way. His blond hair was tousled like he’d just rolled out of bed (it wasn’t a bad look, but it could be improved on), and his glasses bore a layer of dirt which occulted his eyes, that she assumed were green. He definitely would have stood out from all the manicured men she mixed with in the fashion world. A stray Chat Noir amidst a bunch of aristocats. 

Maybe she’d just seen him in the street.

“Hello, I wanted to buy a bouquet, but I can’t really pick. You have a beautiful selection.” She smiled, and Adrien could swear his heart skipped a beat. 

“Thank you.” He replied, deciding to take the compliment as if he’d ordered the flowers himself. “If I may ask, what’s the occasion?”

“Oh, nothing in particular.” She shrugged. “I just like having blooms around when I work.” 

“That makes two of us.” He winked. “Is there anything you feel drawn to? Or any emotions you’re feeling?”

Marinette thought it was quite a personal question to ask someone he’d just met, but didn’t dislike it.

“I’m short on inspiration these days.” She admitted.

“Creativity boost, coming right up!” He grinned. Now was his time to shine; ever since starting this part-time job, he’d started reading up on the flower language, and it seemed like his study would finally be paying off. “As it happens, I have angelicas, which represent inspiration, in stock. I’ll also add hollyhock for ambition, gerberas for stress relief, sweet basil for good wishes, and-”

He was interrupted by her ringtone. Ladybug fished her phone out of her handbag, and saw a familiar face on the screen.

“Sorry, I have to take this.” She apologised, swiping to answer. He nodded understandingly and gestured that he’d be wrapping the bouquet.

“Hello?” 

“Hi boss!” Alya, her PR manager, and incidentally, her best friend greeted. “You are going to LOVE me.”

Marinette shook her head, amused. “You know I already do, what did you do this time?”

“I only went and got you THE Adrien Agreste’s number!” Her friend squealed, making her move her phone away from her ear. 

“You didn’t!” She gasped. “How?”

“Girl, I’ve seen how you drool over his pictures, I needed to do something about it! Nino knows him, it wasn’t very hard to convince him to give me his number.”

Marinette had nursed a crush on the model ever since he’d given her his umbrella at the end of a fashion show, back when she was still an intern working for a big brand. It didn’t hurt that he was one of the most handsome models out there. They’d seen each other again from afar during fashion weeks, their interactions often summarised to a little chit-chat over a glass of Champagne, surrounded by a crowd.

“But what will I even do with it?” She asked, panic seeping through her words. How could she justify getting his number? And what would she say? Would he even know who she was?

“Marinette, I can feel your anxiety from here, breathe.” Alya chuckled. “We’ll work on it.”

“Okay.” Marinette steadied her breathing. “Meet you in ten for lunch?”

Adrien’s heart sank as he heard the words. He’d been about to ask her if she felt like grabbing a bite with him. He grabbed his pen and scribbled a quick ladybug sketch on the back of the business card, along with the words ‘see you again soon!’ and stapled it to the bouquet.

Marinette stole a last look at the flower shop as she exited it after paying, and smiled. She had to admit, Chat Noir’s enumeration had left her dubious. She definitely wouldn't have thought of arranging those flowers together, yet the bouquet was beautiful. She held it out at arms length to examine it, and saw the card. Her mind raced, and she suddenly knew how to end her show. She accelerated her pace to get back to the office before the idea flew away.

Adrien Agreste’s number, wonderful flowers, and a strike of inspiration. The Cat’s fleowers had worked like a lucky charm. 

She had a feeling she hadn’t seen the last of it.

[overly-affectionate-animatronics]

Service With A Smile - Chap. 04

Title:  Service With a Smile - Welcome to the Fazbear Hotel! Part:  4/?? Author:  Murasaki Rose Beta:  none Genre:  AU/Romance/Adventure/Sci-Fi Rating:  PG-13 Spoilers:  None that I know Warnings:  Slash~i.e. male x male pairings, swearing, suggestive language and humor Pairings:  Golden Freddy x Phone Guy Minor Pairings:  Foxy x Chica, Toy Bonnie x Mangle, Toy Freddy x Toy Chica

Summary:  After being picked as the new general manager, Paul has one month to prove he’s the man for the job.  But with xenophobic customers, jealous employees, a former employer out to sabotage him, and a flirty hotel owner, does the human stand a chance, or will he be sent back home?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Watching from across the room, Miss Jaloux scowled as the owner doted on the human General Manager.  She'd been trying to catch the bear's attention for years and then this weak little alien shows up and steals him without even trying!  It wasn't fair!

"Disgusting isn't it?" another Tieran muttered, having come up behind her.

"Ugh, I can't stand watching them!" the female bear snarled.  "If only that little wretch wasn't here!"

"You know, he doesn't have the position yet," the other Tieran had a sly smile on her face, "...and I know a few others who would be willing to help."

Jaloux smirked, "See if they can meet with us later to plan."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Focused on his paperwork, Paul nearly leapt out of his skin when he was interrupted by a loud thump from the hall.  Looking at his door he watched with mild irritation as the woman assigned to clean his office entered the room and started to work without so much as a word to him.

"Miss Trotzig, you're uh, cleaning my office rather early..." Paul commented.  None of the management offices were supposed to be cleaned before six and it was only two in the afternoon.

"All the other offices I clean were empty, so I decided to get them done early since they're right here," she replied flippantly, not even bothering to face him as she spoke.

"I see.  Well, unless Mrs. Blaireau authorizes a change, I expect you to show up at your normal time to clean my office and the others from now on, okay?"

Receiving no acknowledgement from the woman other than a shrug, Paul made a note to check-in with Mrs. Blaireau later.

 The next day, just as Paul feared would happen, the cleaning woman came barging into his office just after two.

"Miss Trotzig."

The flat, almost commanding tone startled the Tieran enough she turned to face him and nearly quailed at the sight.  The human's usual friendly and open expression had been replaced by a stern and closed one.  In that instant, she remembered that human or not, he was the General Manager and her boss.

"Miss Trotzig, yesterday I told you that you were to show up at your normal time, unless Mrs. Blaireau authorized a change."

She nodded, even though he hadn't asked a question.

"I spoke with Mrs. Blaireau yesterday and she assured me that any change in the cleaning schedule, no matter how minor, must be approved by her or a housekeeping supervisor first.  No exceptions."

Trotzig swallowed hard.

"She also mentioned that this was not the first time you have attempted to change your schedule without authorization...."  He sighed softly and picked up a sheet of paper from his desk before walking over to her.  "Given that, along with your past performance record, this will be the second write up for your employee file."   Handing over the paper copy, he returned to his desk, "You are to report to Mrs. Blaireau for your re-assignment immediately."

Nodding again, the maid hurriedly grabbed her cart and left.

��A few hours later Golden arrived outside Paul's office ready to follow his human through the evening building walk.  To the bear's concern, his brown eyes seemed a bit dimmer than usual.

"Rough day?"

The red head smiled and shook his head, "Um, just had to deal with the more unpleasant side of the job, that's all.  Nothing I can't handle."

Golden frowned, "If you're sure..."

"Yes, I'm sure.  If I couldn't deal with days like this, then I'd have never made it this far you know."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Spring frowned as the guard made his report.  This was bad.  "Are you sure these are the ones you overheard?"

The dog nodded, "No doubt in my mind sir."

Steepling his fingers, Spring's brow furrowed as he thought over the best approach.  On the one hand, they hadn't done anything yet and he doubted a warning would discourage them, on the other hand if Golden caught wind of their schemes....

"All right, here's what we're going to do...we'll pass this information on to every member of security as well as the senior staff members-"

"Even Mr. Fazbear and Mr. Cawthon?"

"No.  It's Paul's last trial week and I don't want to add on to his stress."  Spring shook his head, "and if Golden finds out all hell will break loose."

"Sir?"

"He's been verbally claiming Paul for the last couple weeks and I've already seen signs of him going feral at just the thought of Paul in danger."  Silver eyes locked onto the guard, "Can you imagine his reaction should he find out someone is actively trying to sabotage his human?"

The guard felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought.  He'd witnessed other Tierans going feral, but none as powerful as Golden Fazbear.  All hell indeed.

"How will we keep them from finding out?"

The gold rabbit smirked, "Simple, by stopping the trouble before it starts."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

If he wasn't a patient bear by nature, Golden might have thrown something out a window.

He'd been aware for some time that there were several employees interested in him, it'd been that way since he'd come of age several years ago.  The bolder ones would drop subtle hints or flirt in an attempt to catch his attention but never anything untoward or unprofessional enough to warrant any action.  Unfortunately a female bear had decided to throw subtlety to the wind and was now blatantly flirting.

His father had warned him there'd be days like this.

By lunchtime his frustration was at an all-time high, the woman wouldn't leave him alone!  He hadn't realized just how agitated he'd become until he stepped into Paul's office.

"Golden!  What's wrong?"

The bear blinked in surprise as the human ran to his side, cautiously placing a hand on Golden's forearm.  "I look that bad?"

Paul shook his head, "Not to anyone that doesn't uh, know you very well.  Your posture was too stiff and you're, um-" he waved his other hand in a circular motion, "-closed off."

"Closed off?"

The human nodded, "It's hard to explaiiiaaan!" he yelped as Golden abruptly pulled him to his chest, holding him tight around the waist and burying his nose in his soft red hair.  Hugging the bear in return, Paul enjoyed the embrace, happy that apparently he could help calm Golden just as the bear could calm him.  "You uh, wanna talk about it?"

Heaving a sigh, Golden let go of Paul and plopped down onto the couch on far side of the office.  Sitting next to him Paul listened patiently as the bear relayed the series of events that had gotten him so worked up.  Seeing that Golden had tensed up again just thinking about it, the red-head decided to try something a little different to help.

Scooting over to the far end of the couch, he hid a smile when Golden pouted.  "Lay your head down," he said patting his lap.

"Dare I ask why?" Golden asked, grinning at the human.

"I um, want to try something."  A soft blush dusted his cheeks as he reached forward to card his fingers through the thick fur on Golden's scalp.  When the bear nudged his head against Paul's hand, he took the hint and began to lightly scratch his scalp in circular motions.

Golden melted instantly, aqua eyes sliding closed as he let out a content murr.  Peering through half-lidded eyes, the sight of Paul's deep blushing cheeks brought a lazy smile to his muzzle.  They'd definitely have to do this again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"No way!"

"Well, that's what I heard."

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Mitzi walked over to the younger maids she was cleaning with.  She'd forgotten how gossipy the newer employees were.   "What's got you girls so excited?"

"One of the waiters said that they heard from one of the bell hops that they saw Mr. Cawthon hanging around another Tieran."

"Someone that doesn't work here at the hotel!" the other girl exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Raising an eyebrow, Mitzi gave them a skeptical look, "Which bell hop saw that?   And what's the other Tieran look like?"

"Well, they didn't say..."

The older maid stifled a sigh, "Does this mystery bell hop even have a name?  And if they really saw that, then why don't they have a good description of the other guy?" she crossed her arms and huffed.  "Anyone with eyes knows that when he's not working Mr. Cawthon's always with Mr. Fazbear or one of their friends."

"So you're saying it's not true?"

Mitzi nodded firmly, "Absolutely.  And if you hear any more of that nonsense from anyone else, you'd best tell them to stop spreading rumors."

"Will we get in trouble?"

"Not if you stop now.  Can you imagine how angry Mr. Fazbear would be if he heard you?"

Both girls flinched at that.  It hadn't occurred to them that the boss might overhear them.

"Now, let's get back to work...and no more gossiping!"

Satisfied that the younger maids would behave, at least for now, Mitzi dropped the subject and made a mental note to speak with Mrs. Blaireau later.  She knew the rumor was utter nonsense but didn't want Mr. Cawthon or Mr. Fazbear hurt.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Thanks to the combined efforts of the senior staff and security working behind the scenes, most of the incidents were dealt with before anything really got started.  A few of the rumors did work their way back to Golden and Paul, but were dispelled so quickly neither gave them much thought.  Sadly, despite the success at stopping would-be saboteurs and troublemakers, there was one person no one had been able to reign in and it was on the last day of Paul's trial run that everything came to a head.

There was another large event scheduled at the end of the following month, one that both owner and general manager would attend, and they were having the first of many meetings with the hotel's event manager and planners, Jaloux being one of them.

From the moment Golden entered the room, Jaloux hadn't left his side, even going so far as to keep herself physically in-between the gold bear and Paul at all times.  After dealing with her forward behavior all week, Golden was already on edge and was finding it difficult to keep a grip on his rapidly fraying control.  By keeping his focus on the event manager and Paul, he'd been able to put up a calm front, but he was losing the battle.  Finally he'd had enough and just as he was about to call for a break-

She touched him.

Paul inhaled sharply, struggling to maintain a neutral expression as he saw Jaloux run her paw down Golden's arm.  He hadn't been prepared for the sharp pang of possessive anger that had lanced through his stomach and was having difficulty keeping himself from snapping at her like a jealous teenager.

"Jaloux!" the event manager shouted, paging the personnel manager with his tablet as he stormed over.  In all the years he'd been working, he'd never had an employee over-step their boundaries so blatantly.

That flash of hurt in Paul's eyes was all it took to snap the fragile thread holding Golden's temper at bay.  "Enough!" the bear snarled, freezing everyone in place.  When the female bear didn't back away he bared his teeth, a menacing growl rumbling in his throat as he stared her down.

Eyes wide with fear Jaloux cowered in submission and cast her eyes to the ground, hoping she had not just seen what she thought she had.  Golden snarled again and she curled up, praying for someone, anyone to help.  That slim ring of black she'd seen around the other bear's iris had not been her imagination, in her arrogance she'd pushed her boss dangerously close to going feral.

"Golden, please!  You need to calm down!"

Worried he might actually attack the other Tieran, Paul lightly placed a hand on Golden's bicep.  When the bear didn't tense from his touch, the human slid his hand down to Golden's forearm, applying only the barest amount of pressure as he moved.  After a long tense moment, Golden turned his attention from Jaloux to Paul, the black rings gone before the red-head ever saw them.  Forcing down his nerves, the human moved his hand again, this time to the back of Golden's paw.  This got a smile from Golden, which made Paul let out a relieved laugh.  That had been close.

Peeking up at the pair, Jaloux watched as Golden scooped up the human and carried him off, the red-head protesting that they had work to do.

"You realize you probably owe Mr. Cawthon your life?"

Jaloux jumped and spun around to see the personnel manager, Kima Fazbear giving her a stern glare.  She gave a shaky nod, nearly leaping out of her skin when one of the security guards took hold of her arm.

"We'll discuss this in my office."  Kima turned on his heel, the guard following with Jaloux in tow.  Unseen by either party, he allowed his stern expression to melt into one of relief.  He was more grateful than ever that some of the ladies had been teaching Paul about courting Tierans or the whole situation could have ended tragically.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sitting on the couch in his dorm room, Paul was attempting to distract himself with a book.  It was too early in the day to call his brother and he had little else to do the next couple days except worry and second-guess his performance while Rolfe and the senior staff decided if he was going to stay.

He was fortunate that the previous night he'd been so exhausted that he'd fallen asleep the moment his head touched the pillows but now-

A short burst of knocks at this door broke his train of thought.  Curiously, he got up and opened the door to the unexpected, but welcome sight of the Renard twins.

Foxy clapped Paul's shoulder, "So lad, Mangle n' I heard that ye need yerself a distraction."

"I wouldn't say I need one, but it uh, certainly couldn't hurt," the red-head replied, giving the foxes a weak smile.

"Well then, we've got just the thing in mind," Mangle grinned, her artificial eye flashing briefly in her excitement.

Paul yelped as the red fox suddenly tossed him over one shoulder, "W-w-wait Foxy! I-I can walk you know!"

"But you can't run like we can," Mangle replied as the twins raced out of the dorms and into the hotel, the white fox blowing her mate a kiss while Foxy gave Golden a roguish grin when they ran by them in the hotel's main lobby.

 Golden blinked a couple times as his mind processed the bizarre scene he'd just witnessed.

"I'm sorry Asagi."

"What for?"

"If you would be so kind, pass my apologies on to Chica as well."

The blue rabbit struggled not to roll his eyes, that wasn't an answer.  "Why are you apologizing?!" he yelled after Golden, who'd already started running after the foxes.

"I'm going to kill your mates!" he called back before disappearing out the door.

Asagi chuckled, he didn't know what was going to happen when they'd asked Mangle and Foxy to distract Paul for the weekend, but it was clear that whatever crazy idea the twins had come up with, at least Paul (and Golden) wouldn't be bored.

 "Hahahahaha!"  Laughing like he was, Foxy sounded more like a pirate than freighter captain, as he drove away from the hotel at top speed.  He wanted to lose Golden before Paul noticed him chasing after them.  Having left the top open on their vehicle, he'd tossed Paul inside then he and Mangle jumped in on either side of him.  The confused human had barely righted himself before the fox had taken off.

"Whoa!  Foxy slow down!" Paul yelled, worried the red fox would crash in his enthusiasm.

Mangle hugged his shoulders with one arm and laughed, "It's all right Paul, Foxy knows what he's doing."

"Aye lad, drivin' this is child's play compared ta our ship!"

Seeing that Foxy did indeed have full control of the vehicle, Paul started to relax when a worrisome thought occurred to him, "Oh!  Did someone tell Golden what we were doing?"  He didn't want the bear to worry...

"Don't ya worry lad, we made sure he knows yer wit' us."

 After a tour of the foxes' main freighter and the shipyard, the twins took Paul to a diner deep in the heart of Luonto spaceport where the pilots and crew stopped in-between runs.  In the dim lighting of the setting sun, the place had a seedy look about it and the thin-framed human felt a faint thrum of unease.  This wasn't like any place he'd ever been, even back on the colony.

Catching the slight stiffening of Paul's posture, Foxy leaned into the human's field of view, the glow from his artificial eye quite visible in the low light, snaring the human's full attention.  "It's a sight better in daylight an' even moreso inside."

On his other side, Mangle gave him a playful nudge forward, "Trust us."

With a rueful smile, Paul relaxed and followed them inside, of course they wouldn't take him anywhere dangerous.  As promised, inside the diner was bright and warm, the delicious aromas of all sorts of foods, the patrons' conversations, and the sound of a busy kitchen came together to create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.

"They make some o' tha best food you'll ever try," Foxy said as they were seated at a well-worn but clean and sturdy table.  "Next 'ta Chica an' Kingen's o'course."

 Instead of returning to the hotel that night, they stayed in a much smaller hotel close by and snagged breakfast from street vendors on their way.  Originally, the twins had planned on taking Paul to another diner frequented by their crew, but Foxy had spotted Golden in the distance and knew they had to move fast.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind for the human.  Foxy and Mangle seemed to know someone everywhere they went and had all sorts of interesting stories to tell about their childhood adventures.  He was treated to incredible views that most people would never know existed, mostly due to the crazy paths you had to take to get to them, and learned so much more about the native Tierans that inhabited this world.  It was so much fun and something he would never forget, but as happy as he was, the whole time he felt like something was missing.

 "Paul!"

The human barely had time to register who had called his name before he was enveloped in a fierce hug.

"Golden?"  Pressed tightly to the bear's chest, Paul could feel a faint tremor in the bear's frame, "Wh-what's wrong?"

"I couldn't find you."

The miserable tone in his voice broke Paul's heart and he hugged Golden back just as tight, "I'm so sorry!  I-I thought you knew!"

"He knew I took ya lad, but he din' know where we were goin' or fer how long," Foxy said, making sure they both knew he was to blame.  He knew Golden and Paul had grown close, but he hadn't realized they were so connected.  They weren't even courting yet!

Mangle gently tugged her twin away, "we'll just leave you two alone."

Not satisfied with simply holding the man, Golden buried his nose in the crook of Paul's shoulder, taking deep breaths of his human's scent.  Paul squeaked and squirmed in his arms as the sensitive skin was breathed on, but found himself doing the same against Golden's chest, the feeling of missing something now gone.

After a few moments Golden lifted his head and when Paul did the same, he placed one paw on the human's face, running a thumb across his cheekbone.  Knowing how worried the bear must have been, the relieved smile on his muzzle was both heart-warming and heart-breaking to the red-head.

Soulful brown eyes gazed up at the bear as he held Golden's paw to his face. "W-were you um, really looking for me all weekend?"

Golden nodded, squeezing his waist with his other arm.  Paul blushed and looked away, "I-I'm uh, sorry for causing you so much trouble."

Securing his grip around the human's waist with one paw and tilting his chin up with the other, Golden smiled down at him.  "Don't be.  It wasn't your fault."

Paul's face darkened to match his hair, "Still, I should have known something was up when they uh, ran off with me."

"I doubt it would have stopped them," Golden replied.  Having grown up with them, he knew firsthand the Renard twins had always been a bit wild and impulsive.   "Well, since we're already out, how about we have some dinner before we head home."  The bear swore his heart skipped a beat when his human smiled up at him.

"That sounds wonderful."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning when Golden came to get Paul for his meeting with Rolfe, the human had expected them to go to one of the offices or even a conference room.  He never imagined the bear would take him to the very room where he'd been introduced to most of the staff.  Opening the door with one paw, Golden smiled as Paul's confused expression shifted to one of surprise; just as before, the room was filled to capacity with the majority of the hotel's staff waiting inside, the managers sitting in the front row while Rolfe stood on the stage at the head of the room.

"Wh-what?"

Golden placed a paw on the back of the now shell-shocked human and gently pushed him inside.

Watching the young men, Rolfe smiled as the flustered human let himself be led up on stage, the poor boy clearly hadn't expected this.

"Now I know you're a bit bewildered Paul and let me assure you this is not how we usually do things-" he chuckled softly, "-but we've never been in a situation like this before either."  Before Paul could wonder what the old wolf meant, Golden rested an arm across his shoulders.  Oh, that situation.

"I have to say, watching you these last four weeks have been some of the most entertaining days I've had in some time.  I'll admit at first I did have some misgivings, I've seen many an alien come to work here over the years, but I've never seen one fit in as naturally as you have."

A soft red dusted his cheeks as the human ever-so-slightly ducked his head.  He hadn't done anything really, he was just comfortable here.

"Keeping that in mind, along with your remarkable performance, and the stellar reviews from the senior staff... I'm pleased to be the first to congratulate you.  I know I'm leaving my position in good hands."

Paul's eyes sparkled in delight as he shook the old wolf's paw, his smile growing with every second.  He'd done it!

"Good luck handling that lovesick cub," Rolfe murmured just before the crowd burst into applause.

The wolf backed up as the applause died down and Golden moved from Paul's side to stand in front of him.  A few delighted squeals coming from the audience as the bear slid his paw down the red-head's arm until he was gripping the human's hand.

'He isn't-' Paul thought, then seeing the mischievous smile on Golden's muzzle, 'he is!'

"Paul, now that we all know you're going to be staying with us, I think this would be a good time for you to answer that question I asked last week."

"You're d-doing this now?!  I-In front of everyone?!" the human hissed, glancing sideways at the crowd of employees in the room.

"Everyone who works here knows this was bound to happen eventually," the bear countered.  "Letting most of them find out now will prevent rumors from cropping up."

Well, he couldn't fault that logic.  Paul shook his head and gave the bear a wry smile, "Dating you is going to be very uh...interesting."

Recognizing the word "dating" as the human term for courting, Golden grinned like an idiot and drew a laughing Paul into an embrace.  Pulling back, he bent down and gave the red-head a kiss on the cheek, watching in delight as an adorable blush spread across the bridge of Paul's nose.

Having forgotten about their audience, Paul placed his hands on Golden's chest for balance, then pushing up on his toes to reach, he returned the gesture.  The sudden burst of applause and whistling from the watching staff startled them both out of their little bubble, Golden staring at them wide-eyed while Paul whined in embarrassment and buried his face in the bear's chest.

"C'mon lovely, you can't hide from them forever," Golden crooned, slowly coaxing the human into facing the crowd.

With a final, near-silent whine of defeat, a red-faced Paul looked out at the mass of approving smiles and as Golden's arm settled around his waist, he couldn't help but feel like he was finally home.