Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Golden yellows, burned oranges and crimson autumn leaves filled the sleepy shop street of Janna Valley, fairylights wrapped around the trunks and branches of trees lining the path that still are  lit with the sun starting to peek over the horizon. While many people slept in on the weekend, Tango was up and roaring for the day. Pulling aside the metal storefront gate just enough for him to slip through, closing it again behind as he flicked on the dim lights. 

Many people questioned why the town pub and casino opened at 9am every morning, especially with the limited breakfast spread, but Tango knew his audience. Constant customers, the morning alcoholics, the tired white and blue collar workers, the freshly 18 year olds day drinking, and of course, the retirees with nothing better to do. The regulars did warm his heart a little when he saw them, always taking a bit more care of their needs. 

He hummed softly, hooking his phone up to the speaker system and starting his day with a bit of Greenday. He made sure the volume was low before pressing play, leaving his phone on the backroom counter before ducking down to unlock the safe and pull the float money out. 

Tango was used to opening, almost like it was muscle memory as he threw the key back into the pencil case on the desk. He was excited for his two days off tomorrow, opening up the till system to count the float. He let the notes and coins slide out of his hand, muttering numbers under his breath as the system counted how much it added up to with the quantity, keeping an ear out for his coworker. 

Now, being the owner of a place typically associated with greed, temptation, desire, pride, envy, really anything under the sun that many heavily religious people feel deeply repugnant towards, you'd expect him to be not so religious. But, Tango was a pretty consistent patron at the Sunday mass just up the top of the street hill. What could he say, even if he technically fell from heaven already, he was still consistent. 

Right… that was another part of him, Tango is a fallen angel making the most of his eternity stuck on Earth. 

Tango’s thoughts were interrupted at the key unlocking the storefront gate as his coworker came in with two coffees on a cardboard holder and their bag half hanging off their arm, “Morning Tango.”

Cleo, they mostly manned the kitchen, only tolerating to share the space with him and Martyn on a good day, any other day and it was a death sentence to interrupt their space. “Morning Cleo!” Tango hummed as he finished opening the bar till, his eyes lighting up when he saw the take away cups, “aww, you're sweet.”

“Yeah yeah, don't get used to it,” Cleo rolled their eyes as they passed him a cup, placing the cardboard in the bin and her own cup on the bench, “Scar got sick last night so Pearl’s coverin’ him today.”

“Righto…” Tango wrote that down in his day book, penning in the shift hours and who else was on till close, “We've got a busy afternoon and night, 10 top birthday at 2pm and a work party at 7, I've asked G if he can come on for a dinner cover and we've got the new kid starting at lunch.”

“New kid?” Cleo clocked an eyebrow, looking over to see the name Joel in the book, “Isn't that the bakery owner’s kid?”

“Yep, just got his RSA and a fresh young face wouldn't hurt, we can't keep scaring off the newbies,” He teased, groaning as they lightly hit him over the head before walking into the kitchen to setup. 

—

The day ran smoothly from there, slow morning, picking up around lunch but Tango didn't need to focus on customers with their new start. 

“Alright, that's pretty much the gist of it,” Tango hummed, flicking through the pages on his clipboard quickly to make sure he did actually teach Joel everything on his induction list, “You don't need to worry about the machines or tables until you get a gamblers license… uh… don't drink when you're at work, you can when you finish... yada yada yada… yeah that's all.”

“Sick… where do you want me to start?” Joel had a very nonchalant style to him, relaxed pants, green streak in his hair and an almost half bored expression. “I'll get you on register to start, you wanna learn the POS system quick before lunch rush really hits.” Tango replied. 

Joel nodded with a shrug as he pealed off to the main register in front of the kitchen window. Tango double checked the induction sheet before putting it out back to sort later. He was in his own little world when the door opened and Pearl, a younger woman with long brown hair tied into a braid today, entered. 

“Afternoon, boss!” Pearl was perky, dumping her bag on the spare swivel chair before stretching her arms over her head, “Ya see the new shop finally opened up?”

Right, Pearl’s been talking about the new florist shop for the past few months since the dodgy Thai massage brothel got drug busted, “The flower shop your girlfriend applied for?”

“Yeah! Gemmy got the job there but it's such a pretty little store!” Pearl beamed, clocking in on the sheet before glancing back at him, “you should swing by! Apparently Gem thinks the owner is your type~” she teased before leaving onto the floor for her shift. 

His type, Yeah whatever . He was used to the girls and Grian teasing him about his love life, and trying to hook him up with ‘hot’ customers. Though, meeting the new neighbouring store might be good etiquette. He’ll worry about it after his shift finishes.

—

Guiltily, Tango was a little glad his shift finished before the work party table came in. He gave his rundown to Martyn and Pearl with teaching Joel and getting Grian to help with running food while Zedaph handled the casino area. He ran a tight but efficient ship, and he was honestly glad the others put in the same effort he expects of them when he's not there. 

Cleo was waiting for him outside, smirking when he let his shoulders slump as soon as he got out the doors, “You need a holiday, kid.”

“You're like… two years older than me, who are you calling kid ?” Tango retorted tiredly, thankful he could drop his perky attitude, following them down the small alley leading to the carpark behind the shopfronts. 

“Either way, you still need a proper break,” They stated, a little more firmly than before, “You're gonna burn yourself out and die before you get laid.”

Tango went red at the comment and rolled his eyes with a scoff, “How do you know I haven't had sex before?” He muttered. 

“Cause you're uptight and pathetic” They got him there. 

“We shouldn't even be having this conversation, Cleo! You're my coworker! Not my mum!” Tango blurted back, his cheeks burning hotter as he looked away from her. 

“Yeah but you'd rather hear this from me than one of the youngsters,” They were right again, digging through their bag for their car keys, “anyways, that's just an observation. Maybe you should listen to Pearl and chat to the florist?” They hummed, pausing at a blue Subaru Impreza and unlocking it. 

Tango paused as he gave them a small wave when they got into their car, the words lingering for a little. He's always been uptight, even when he was alive he was uptight. Falling made it worse. 

He let out a deep sigh as he dug through his pocket for his own keys, coming up on his old red Mazda Astina. Falling back into the divers seat as he threw his jacket on the passenger side, “I don't need to have sex to not be uptight…” he grumbled quietly, turning on the car before pulling it from neutral to first gear to leave the spot. 

But he did need to say hi to the Florist, otherwise Gem will berate him worse than Pearl. 

That's a tomorrow job, though, right now, his bed is calling.

Chapter Text

Sunday was the best day of the week. It was the first day he has off from five full days of work and he was able to laze around the house after church. Even then, Tango’s eyes were heavy as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. It had just hit 8am, but his body clock had just decided to wake him up at 5:43am, though, not giving him the chance to fall back asleep. 

He sighed heavily, rolling onto his side and shifting the blanket so one leg poked out from under it. That was one part he despised about being fallen, body temperature regulation. He was either too hot or too cold, one blanket could be perfect or way too thin, but a second blanket made his core too hot that he'd wake up sweating. It was a curse. 

Tango rubbed his eyes with a small grumble, considering if it was appropriate to finally get out of bed. He checked his phone to see if anyone left him a message, just smiling when he saw it was Grian sending him a random photo from closing, “Morons…”

Slowly, he sat himself up and stretched, the stubs where his wings once belonged wiggling as he searched for his shirt again. Eventually he was out of bed, neglecting his messy sheets as a later problem and making his way to the little kitchenette. His home was small, borderline a granny flat, but it made due for his needs and had a big enough yard for the mixed-breed pup still snoozing in the corner. 

Tango smiled softly at the sleeping dog, covering his mouth as he yawned and turned on the coffee machine. He mulled over his to-do list for the two days he has off. 

• Take Piper to the groomers
• Get milk & bread
• Pick up jacket from dry cleaners

He hummed at the milk part, not really sure how much he left in the carton for his morning coffee. Thankfully, it turned out to be just enough for one large cup. As he made it up, his dog, Piper, had woken up from her nap to greet him. It was nice having a companion, even if she wasn't going to live forever like him, maybe, just maybe, he might be able to see her again if he can redeem himself. 

Breakfast and morning routines went quickly as Tango made up a quick meal for himself and added an egg to Piper’s dry food. He mumbled a song as he showered and groomed himself to look a bit nicer with the bags under his eyes. He really needed to figure out this sleep schedule crap. However, his day kicked in at 9am when the groomers opened, putting on his sneakers and Piper’s leash before going for a quick walk. 

–

When they got close to the groomers, Piper put up her usual fight of pulling on the lead, collapsing on the ground to be dead weight, and crying like she was about to die. It was honestly endearing how much effort she put into her performances, but Tango always won in the end. 

After dropping her off, he went to get his other jobs done. The dry cleaners were just next to the pet groomers so he was able to quickly grab that before heading to the grocery store for milk and the bakery for bread. He was regretting not bringing a bag with him, refusing to pay 25c for a paper one just to hold his milk. Now, however, it was difficult to maneuver the carton with the jacket so he could grab his bread. 

“Thanks Mr. Bentley,” Tango said, deciding to death grip the plastic top of the bread.

“It's not a problem, Tango, also please, you can call me Shaun,” The baker replied, giving Tango back his change for the bread, “How’d Joel go yesterday?”

“Oh, he was great, got the hook of it quickly,” Tango smiled, not realising his predicament of grabbing his change with his limited hands, “I didn't realise him and Grian were old friends.”

“Ah, yes those two were trouble makers in high school, the reason why the school banned muck-up day,” Shaun mused, moving to help Tango and give him a small plastic bag so he could put his groceries inside it, “I hope they didn't cause too much grief.”

“No no, they're fine,” Tango was relieved his hands were slightly freer as he grabbed his change and thanked Shaun, “gives a bit more energy to the place! Anyways, I've gotta get going, it was nice talking to you again, Shaun.”

“Any time,” with that, Tango went home quickly, dumped his groceries in their respective places before changing from his active wear to an appropriate outfit for church. He settled on using the jacket he just got cleaned before leaving quickly and back up and down the hill to get to his church on time for the 10am start. 

–

The mass was brief today, surprised to have it finished in time for lunch. He stuck around slightly, catching up with regular customers at work, and Martyn who had brought a new friend along. 

“This is Ren, he's staying with me until he gets his own place,” Martyn spoke softly, gently swirling the plastic cup full of juice in his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Tango, Martyn has told me a lot about you and your workplace,” The man, tall and rugged with his hair pulled back into a bun, gently took Tango’s hand to shake it. 

“Nice to meet you, as well, Ren,” Tango smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze in the shake, “You said you're from South Africa?”

“Yes, I met Martyn through university and I've wanted to move closer to him since,” Ren gave a toothy grin as Martyn gently prodded his side with his elbow. 

“Don't be weird about it,” Martyn mumbled, his cheeks a little flush at the comment. Tango chuckled softly at the two, shifting his weight a little, “Well, if you need a job we could always use an extra pair of hands around the pub,” He offered, noting when Martyn’s eyes lit up a little. 

“Thank you, I'll keep that in mind,” Ren said, giving Tango a little head bow as they separated. 

“Oh! Before you run off cause you're soooo busy on a Sunday, Pearl was harping on about you and the new florist guy last night,” Martyn added, stopping Tango before he could leave the church fully, “For the sake of everyone’s mental health, please to talk to him before she starts on again how you'd make a cute couple.”

“I uh…. w-will do?” Tango didn't really know how to respond to that as he left. He knew what Pearl was like and could tell Grian would bite onto her bait quickly if he didn't do anything about it. And, the florist was right next to the church. He had nothing better to do besides eat lunch. 

He took a nervous breath as he left the small courtyard of the church, looking left. Just up the hill a little more, past the driveway leading to the abandoned house behind it, sat the new florist. Impulsive Designs . The side of it had a small painted mural of Cupid around different bouquets of flowers, a limited palette of purple toned whites, blacks and a more vibrant yellow to bring everything together. The storefront was cute, a large glass window allowed passersby to peek inside, rose and lilac bouquets paired with small pots and little additional gifts sitting around them. Tango pushed open the glass door, glancing up at the bell chiming as he entered. 

“Just a second!” A voice called from the back. The rest of the interior was very cute, the main counter having a bouquet of purple asters, bluebells and three large pink hibiscus. Just behind the counter were more flowers as well as a shelf unit full of little trinket-y gifts like candles, rosé and more. Tango hummed softly as he enjoyed the cozier vibe of the small store, the golden lights bringing a softer energy than normal white LEDs or Halogens. He also enjoyed the neon purple sign with the store name behind the counter. 

As he took in the interior, the voice from the backroom came out from around the corner. He was a little shorter than Tango, maybe by an inch, but he was stocky and not at all the face Tango expected to see. He was carrying a bundle of sunflowers and leafy branches he had just tied together to add to his display, “Good afternoon, welcome to Impulsive Designs!”

He was cheery, placing down his bundle on a little workbench area next to the till. The man was wearing a black apron with little gold and purple embroidered details through it, making flowers and vines around the seams. He pulled off his gloves and smiled up at Tango expectantly, waiting for him to initiate his need for coming in today. 

Tango was a little lost for words. Still stunned at the man who he'd assumed was the owner of the store, given he's never met him before, was nothing like he'd pick, but also that Pearl was right . He's never going to live that down, “H-hi… sorry I just… sorry I own the pub down the road, I just wanted to say hi and welcome?”

The man smiled a little at that, relaxing his shoulder, “Oh, thank you, I wasn't actually expecting this,” he said lightly, moving out from behind the counter to properly greet Tango as he held out a hand. It was a little dirty at the tips, green and brown staining his skin from working with plants, “My name’s Scott VeGris… but just call me Impulse.”

“Impulse, got it,” Tango said as he took his hand, smelling the floral scent of fresh cut stems and pollen, “I'm Thomas Dervish… b-but you can call me Tango.”

Impulse nodded as he gave Tango’s hand a quick squeeze and shake before noticing how dirty his own hands were, “Oh sorry, I should've washed my hands before shaking yours… but it was lovely to meet you.”

“Yeah! You too… I'll um… I'll get out of your way, you seem busy, cya around!” Tango said, quickly excusing himself as he left the store fast. He glanced back to see Impulse give him a quick wave, which he returned, he didn't want to be rude , before rushing off to get back to the groomers, “Fuck… she's never gonna let me live this down…”

Chapter Text

Impulse was still new to Janna Valley and being in a coastal region. He only moved in a few months ago from where he was originally stationed, the city, and he was still adjusting to a ‘country’ life. Now, making things more complicated for himself, he decided to indulge in capitalism and make a flower shop.

He was very aware that the name Impulsive Designs was a little self-indulgent to his ego, as well as the core colours being his two favourite ones. He was going to enjoy himself while he was here, and flowers have always intrigued him. Their colours were gorgeous and the smell beautiful, piecing them together by scent and colour engaged him a lot.

He was also intrigued by the symbolism behind them, always taking note of that when he gave them out as gifts to different people. He made sure the people nice to him got flowers with positive meanings while the others… he was very purposeful in his decisions.

Opening Impulsive Designs was a lot more of a hassle than he expected. Renting the location from the owner of the building, renovating the old massage and brothel location to a more welcoming place, and having to interview people to help him was a lot. It was a welcome distraction though, taking his mind off his true job.

That was something he wasn’t going to tell anyone. He was sure people would be up in arms if they learned who or what he truly was.

An Imp

While he wasn’t the most intimidating or powerful of the demon races like Vulcans or Drakes, he was still not a welcome sight to mortals. He learned that the hard way when his glamour wore off and suddenly the person who was talking to him started screaming.

Impulse sighed heavily at the memory, his hands moving carefully across the counter as he started to open the register and prepare for the day. He was significantly more careful with understanding his power level and how long his glamour needs to rest. He wasn’t planning on killing anyone else because they saw his true form. Especially his two coworkers.

Talking about coworkers, the hiring process humans made was so confusing to him, however, he managed to get some amazing people. Gemini Taylor and Scott Major, two young but rambunctious people. Gem definitely kept him on his toes in training, asking questions, finding faults in his own workflow, creating unique bouquet designs, and talking about her girlfriend’s boss and how he should ‘Ask him out cause you’re definitely his type’. Scott was similar but a lot less energetic, shooting playful flirts and comments, as well as judging his routine. They meant well but Impulse wasn’t exactly used to modern humans, the last time he was in the mortal world before this was during a war.

Either way, his day was meant to be quiet, only Scott was meant to be on with him to prepare for the new week and the post-mass brigade of people.

He finished his preparation work, turning on the lights and unlocking the front door once it hit 10am. He glanced out the window to see the large group of people walking down the hill, moving quickly as they were running late to Sunday Mass, before going back to his workbench next to the counter to start creating bouquets.

Scott joined him around 10:30 am, mainly working in the back to help with the stockpile of orders that were getting picked up on Monday. Impulse hummed gently as they worked together, just enjoying their comfortable silence.

“So, anyone from the local stores visited yet?” Scott broke their silence, cocking an eyebrow as he tied a purple ribbon to a fresh bouquet of roses and baby’s breath. Impulse picked up on the tone he used, pointed and leading, like he was looking for a specific answer.

“No… who am I meant to be expecting?” He countered, his own tone suspicious of what shenanigans Gem planted into Scott’s mind.

Scott shrugged with a knowing smirk, placing his bouquet into a pot of water to keep the flowers fresh before looking back at Impulse, “No one in particular… What's with the suspicious tone? Don’t you trust me?”

Impulse took a sharp breath, shifting his weight between his feet as he cut a few more stems shorter on some more roses, “Cause I know Gem’s trying to get me to talk to someone.”

Scott only gave him a quick hum before going back to his work and bundling together a new bouquet, “Interesting…”

They fell back into silence, but now, Impulse’s train of thought was interrupted completely. He was just glad his task was mindless and rhythmic enough that he didn’t have to focus too hard anymore.

–

Impulse had sent Scott out on his lunch break around 12pm, continuing to work just out of view of the front on some financial reports for the opening week. He was completely immersed until the doorbell rang as someone entered the store, “Just a second!”

He saved his progress, closing down the tab before grabbing the bouquet he had just finished before of sunflowers, coming around the corner to see another man. He looked completely out of place in the store, nervous glances and an awkward stature to him, “Good afternoon, welcome to Impulsive Designs!” He chimed, trying to keep up the customer service attitude as he dissected the man’s personality from behind the counter.

He felt his smile falter a little at the lack of reply, just the ‘deer in the headlights’ stare that he was getting in response. The man straightened up a little when he seemed to realise as a rough and gravelly voice he wasn’t quite expecting came from him, “H-hi… sorry I just… sorry I own the pub down the road, I just wanted to say hi and welcome?”

Oh that's sweet. Impulse thought to himself, his shoulders relaxing now that he knew the man wasn’t going to just keep staring at him, “Oh, thank you, I wasn't actually expecting this.”

He was expecting this, he knew that Gem or Scott must’ve said something about the man owning the pub and that they’d try and get them together. He decided to be friendly, placing his bouquet down and moving out from behind the counter. The outfit the man was wearing wasn’t what he expected a bartender or casino owner to wear, casual jeans, heavy duty boots and a jacket. He smelt of something familiar, but he could pick up quickly on wine in the concoction. He dusted his hands off on his apron before offering it to the man, “My name’s Scott VeGris… but just call me Impulse.”

“Impulse, got it,” The man mumbled slightly before taking his hand in return. It was a little clammy but surprisingly soft, “I'm Thomas Dervish… b-but you can call me Tango.”

Like the dance? Impulse stopped himself from saying it out loud, he knew his own name was an odd choice. He noticed how dirty his hands were when he glanced down, pulling away as he wished he remembered to wash after finishing his bouquet, “Oh sorry, I should've washed my hands before shaking yours… but it was lovely to meet you.”

“Yeah! You too… I'll um… I'll get out of your way, you seem busy, cya around!” Tango responded, stumbling on his words significantly. Impulse watched as he left quickly, noting the redness of his cheeks and how he muttered something to himself outside the store before walking off.

“What a weirdo…” Impulse mumbled, glancing back down at his hands and grumbled, “I need to wash them…”

–

“You met Tango?” Scott asked, passing Impulse a takeaway coffee cup, “What’d you think of him?”

“I don’t know, he’s just awkward?” Impulse shrugged, hanging his apron just out of view of the front as he got ready to leave on his own lunch break. He took the coffee cup with a small thanks as he sipped it, smiling at the rich taste.

“Really? He’s usually charismatic and talkative… weird…” Scott said, sending Gem a quick message before putting his phone away, “It is his day off, maybe he drops the perky attitude like everyone else does in customer service…”

Impulse shrugged as he grabbed his keys, “Not sure, anyways I’m going, just keep working on orders till I get back,” He said with a hum before leaving. He didn’t really know what he wanted, glancing at the cafe across the road and the restaurants still closed until the late afternoon.

Impulse mulled on the thought, slowly walking down the street, passing the church and grocery store before his gaze landed on Raise the Stakes. The pub casino. The place Tango apparently owns. Sure, why not?

As he entered, he was overwhelmed by the loud chatter of one of the nearby tables, a big family lunch. Impulse hummed, now questioning his choice but he couldn’t leave just as he entered, that would be rude. He pushed on, making his way to the bar in the middle of the place, fake leaves wrapped through metal fence-like decals, soft, circular lights inside highlighting the bottles of alcohol on the shelves. LEDs under the bottom shelves lit up the workspaces for cocktail making, a younger man with brown hair and a green streak was using. The bar itself went in levels, a small staircase and wheelchair ramp leading up to one end that had a neon sign ORDER DRINKS. Looking up from where he was, the other neon sign read ORDER FOOD.

Another younger man was there, caramel brown hair and a tired expression as he approached. The man straightened up quickly when he noticed him approaching and opened up the small tablet to take an order, “HEy-” There was a voice crack, the young man going red in embarrassment before clearing his throat and trying again, “Hey, welcome in, what can I get you, today?”

Impulse smiled a little at the attempt of making his voice sound deeper and more mature, as well as the other brunette snickering behind the man, “Hi, would I just be able to get a steak sandwich for takeaway?”

The man nodded as he put through the order, “And are you a member?” Impulse shook his head at the question, taking note of the uniforms they were wearing. Deep crimson red button shirts tucked into black pants, little golden name tags on their chest and a white waist-height apron detailed with the suit symbols of a deck of cards around the bottom. The name tag of the man in front of him read Grian, but he initially misread it as grain.

“Alright, that shouldn’t take too long… Do you want to add a drink?” Grian asked, looking up at him expectantly.

“I’m alright, thanks… I have to go back to work in thirty minutes anyways,” Impulse dismissed, pulling his phone out to pay for his meal.

“Where do you work?” The brunette behind Grian asked, turning so Impulse could actually read his nametag, Joel.

“Just up the road a little at the florist,” Impulse didn’t think it was too much but with the look the two shared and the slightly unnerving laughs, it made him a little on edge.

“Oh yeah? Have you met anyone around town yet?” Grian asked, leaning forward on the counter to get a better look at him while Joel seemed to message someone. Impulse raised an eyebrow before making an assumption on what they were trying to lead the conversation into, “Yeah, I just met your boss, he was a nervous wreck, little surprised he runs a pub of all things…”

Joel scoffed and grumbled something under his breath before putting his phone away again, “So much for first impressions…”

“Look, he’s not that much of a nervous wreck, he’s just… I don’t know, awkward?” Grian retorted, straight to the defence of his boss. That was something Impulse could admire, “You should see him when he’s behind the bar! When’s your next day off? Huh?”

Impulse chuckled softly, finding it endearing that he was so devoted to making sure the next impression was better, “Tuesday, will he be working then?”

Grian paused as he tried to remember the roster, looking back at Joel for help who was digging through a few papers under the counter, “Yes! 3pm to close!” He called up from the crouched position.

“Alright, I’ll be back on Tuesday," Impulse chimed, going to wait in the designated area for takeaway pickups. The two boys started chatting to each other as soon as he was gone, reminding him of gossiping Imps.

He didn’t wait long until another person came from the back end of the pub with a cardboard takeaway box, her outfit different and wild ginger hair tied back into a bun, “Vegris?”

“Yes, thank you,” He said softly, taking the box from her before leaving. He didn't actually remember telling the boys his name, let alone the human last name he was assigned. But that was a thought for later.

Now he just had to wait till Tuesday.

Chapter Text

Tango would argue that his weekend went by too fast. Sunday is always his busier day as he punches out tasks, Monday ends up being his lazier day. However, he had to deal with the bank on Monday. He hates the bank. Waiting in lines, being forced to sit and wait for a teller to just say he has to come back another time. Honestly, the worst thing mortals ever made, he’d rather the taxman come by and take half his money again instead of waiting.

Thankfully, his Tuesday shift was closing, he didn’t have to wake up until way after the doors opened. He took his time, washing his face to clean away the sleep clinging to his skin, making an easy breakfast of an egg, chorizo and spinach omelet, then showering until he felt clean enough. By the time he was done, it was 10am, giving him enough time to work on some personal projects and take Piper for a quick stroll.

Past noon, he’d make himself a quick sandwich and start preparing himself for work, changing into uniform and grabbing the main essentials. When 2pm hits, he’s walking up Box RD to get to the top of the street shops, getting a premade iced coffee from the service station on the corner before going back down into the shops. 2:30pm he starts work early, focusing on the banking and financial side of the pub until Grian comes off work and he’s on the floor at 3pm.

“Afternoon, boss!” Pearl chimed as he joined her behind the bar, pulling out their daybook for him as she continued to work on a cocktail to match the tap beer for a couple, “Slower morning for a weekday but we expect it to get busy. Martyn took a call for a family dinner this morning so there’s a 13 seater at 7pm.”

“Thanks Pearly,” Tango hummed, reading through their expected budget for the day and who’s on, “What’s this?” He asked, pointing at the ‘notes’ section of the book.

Special Guest, 5pm

“Not sure, Grian wrote that when he came in, said it was a surprise,” Pearl responded, tossing her cocktail shaker before catching it, opening it and pouring it into a martini glass.

“God… what did that rascal do…” Tango grumbled, nervous as to what Grian said or did while he was off over the weekend.

“What doesn’t he do?” Pearl retorted jokingly, setting off a table buzzer for the people who ordered their drinks to pick them up, “Don’t stress it, Tango, knowing him, it’s probably not that important, otherwise he would’ve told us.”

Tango huffed a sigh and nodded as he put the daybook away and did up his apron, “Yeah… you’re right… I’m gonna do the rounds, be with you in a sec.” He said, getting out from behind the bar and went to the casino area.

Pearl, Martyn, Zedaph and Scar were on close with him tonight, all were in their respective areas but he just wanted to make sure they were all going alright. Zedaph was manning the poker table in the little knook where the very miniature casino was. He was amazing at his job, shuffling the cards with tricks and performance.

“Hey Zeddy,” Tango hummed softly, coming up behind the shorter man to scare him. He was rewarded with a high pitched squeal followed by a playfully annoyed laugh, cards thrown all over the empty table.

“Tango you jerk!” Zedaph groaned, gently elbowing his side as he started to clean up the mess he made of his cards, “I was learning a new trick!”

“It's just too easy,” Tango said through giggles and a content sigh, leaning against the table as he watched Zedaph tidy up his mess, “What's the trick?”

“A four Ace Poker Deal,” Zedaph mused, the annoyance of being scared vanishing as his neat pile of cards were face down. He shuffled the deck until the four Aces were pulled, neatening them up before putting them at the top of the pile under three other cards. He started with a false shuffle of the deck and pretending to mix those top seven cards in with the rest, always managing to keep the seven cards separated. He split the deck once he was satisfied and started to deal two poker hands, placing the cut packet back on top and looking up at Tango, “How many cards do you want?”

Tango hummed and shifted a little bit, “Three.”

Zedaph nodded as he passed out three cards, discarding four cards and drawing another four for himself. He flipped them over to reveal he had the four aces, “whatcha think?”

“Brilliant, I really like the cardistry you did with the shuffle,” Tango said, passing him back his three cards so Zedaph could keep working on deals and shuffling, “Quick question, any idea who that 'secret guest’ is?”

“No clue, I asked but Grian said it was a surprise,” Zedaph commented, starting to go through his own routine of preparation of shuffling, “Though when Pearl came in with Gem, the two were chatting about it. I don't think Pearl knows though, she looked confused?”

Tango grumbled at that part, his fingers tapping irritably against the polished dark wood of the table, “Great… thanks for the extra bit of info…” He mumbled, giving Zedaph a quick wave as he went to hunt down his other workers.

–

Tango was still on edge as he mixed up a new cocktail for one of the many orders now later in the evening. It was almost 5pm. Thoughts still bounced around in his mind about who this mystery person is and why they have to be such a secret.

He kept himself busy while he waited, hitting the buzzer to call the patron to collect it. Tango knew very well he looked tense, his shoulders were already hurting as he prepared a new drink in his shaker. Hitting the lid to seal it, he picked it up and spun it, trying to distract his nerves by doing tricks. It kept his hands and mind busy, focusing solely on not dropping the shaker.

It helped, Tango’s shoulders loosened and he didn't notice the new guest sitting at the bar as he poured the drink into a martini glass. Ringing the buzzer to serve with the docket, he moved to look at his next order just as his eyes caught the figure at his bar, “Just a second, mate,” he said quickly, pulling down a bottle of midori, rum and coconut milk. He held the three bottles at the same time with ease as he poured them into his shaker, sliding them out of his way as he bit the lid again. Tango hummed as he spun the shaker behind him and caught it as he turned around to face his patron, “Evenin’ welcome to Raise the Stakes, what can I do for yo–”

Tango had to focus on not dropping his shaker as his eyes met with the florist from the other day, cogs turning as he realised who the special guest was. Grian you bastard. He cleared his throat as he held his shaker tighter and placed it down, “Impulse… what are you um… how was your day?”

God, he sounded like a voice cracking teenager meeting his crush for the first time. It honestly didn't feel much different. “Hi Tango,” Impulse’s voice was sweet to his ears, “My day was fine, how about yours?”

Tango blinked as he processed the words between eyeing up Impulse, how his smile shined more in the moody lighting of the bar, how his eyes glistened from the reflection of the glass bottles, how his–

“Tango? You alright?” His thoughts were broken when Impulse spoke again, freezing up and clearing his throat.

“Crap sorry, I-it's been good! Great, even!” God, he must look like such an idiot! How long was he staring? “Um… not to be rude but, why are you here? You don't seem like the bar or casino type…”

Impulse laughed, and Tango would be lying if he didn't admit it made his stomach flutter with butterflies, “No, I was quite the regular at bars when I lived in the city… that and your younger coworkers recommended a time to come.”

Grian. Tango was going to have to speak to that boy about this later. But that was tomorrow’s problem and he could feel Pearl and Scar staring at him from across the room, “Really? Let me guess, shorty with caramel hair?”

“Yeah, that was one of them,” Impulse started, “Him and the other boy with the green in his hair.”

Joel. Tango reminded himself not to roster the two together for a while, “Of course it was those two… sorry they're a little… rambunctious… they didn't force you to be here, right?”

“No no, like I said, they just recommended me a time to come in,” Impulse said sweetly, contradicting the internal dread growing in Tango’s gut on what those two might've said, “Plus, I think I have a good view, you're really good with the shaker.”

Tango did feel a bit of pride replacing the dread, straightening himself up a little and grabbing the shaker again to finish the drink he was mixing before, “Thanks, it's just a practice I picked up working in bars most of my life, kinda like… ice hockey, I was crap at first, wobbling on the ice and now it's second nature in movement… but with alcohol.”

Impulse snorted at the analogy, leaning against the bar top, folding his forearms on top of it, “Nice analogy… but why ice hockey?”

Tango huffed and decided to be playful, hoping it wouldn't ruin his attempts at a friendship with the florist, “Why not ice hockey?”.

“There's nothing wrong with it… just very specific,” Impulse hummed, his fingers tapping the edge of the menu in front of him, “Do you like ice hockey?”

There was a brief glimmer of excitement in Tango’s eyes at the innocent question, “Uh, Yeah!” He chimed, bouncing on his toes as he gave Impulse his full attention, “Best game the Canadians have ever invented! When the lake freezes over in winter, a lot of us here go out to play. So much better than them wanting a beach day in summer.”

Impulse chuckled lightly at the grumbling about the beach towards the end, shifting his position in his chair to give Tango more attention, “So you like winter over summer? Isn’t that kinda ironic living in a coastal town?”

“Gosh, you sound like my coworkers,” Tango scoffed playfully, serving the drink and cleaning out the shaker, “Anyways, want something to drink before I keep yappin’ your ear off?”

Tango noticed the reaction of Impulse as the florist sat up straight and looked down at the menu, “Oh… what can you recommend?”

“Well, lavender palomas are my signature cocktail,” He suggested, smirking at how Impulse stared at the pages to find the cocktail menu.

“Oo, that sounds nice, sure!” Impulse chimed, his smile infectious. Tango nodded as he started to grab his ingredients and his specially homemade lavender syrup.

Tango took his time making it as they talked, he made sure to document every detail Impulse gave him about his life and interests. He engaged with learning about the florist’s old home in the city, his work and his reason for moving so far away. He was enjoying their time, squeezing in grapefruit and lime juice. They started talking more about business and owning one, adding in the shots of milagro silver with dry lavender soda.

“But yeah… this place is definitely different from anywhere I’ve lived before…” Impulse spoke softly, the quiet of the bar settling on them more, “But I love it…”

Tango smiled as he finished garnishing his mixed cocktail with grapefruit peel, some lavender petals and a pinch of salt, "That's good… here, all done,” He hummed, passing Impulse the drink as he waited anxiously for the man’s approval of his drink.

Impulse took a small sip, tasting the fragrant floral drink. It was refreshing and very summery compared to the colder season they were in, “Wow, this is amazing, Tango!” He licked his lips of the salt and foam before taking another, much bigger, sip.

Tango felt his heart well up with pride at the compliment, his back straightening slightly, “I’m glad you like it.”

The paloma was finished quicker than either expected, Impulse fishing for his wallet, “How much do I owe you for it?”

“Oh, it’s on the house, don’t worry,” Tango smiled, taking the empty glass and throwing the peel in the bin.

“Really? Just means I owe you dinner then,” Impulse sang, not noticing Tango’s blush creep up on his face. Tango cleared his throat and nodded as he continued to clean the glass.

“Next week I don’t have any evening shifts,” Tango’s voice cracked slightly at his attempt to be calm as he looked up to meet Impulse’s eyes again, “Free Thursday?”

“I’ll need to check,” Impulse paused as he leaned over the benchtop to grab a pen and write something on his napkin, “Here’s my number, send me a message later and I’ll get back to you!” He chimed, giving back the pen as he moved off the stool, “Cya around, Tango.”

The bartender watched him leave as blush continued to creep up his neck and cheeks. Impulse’s phone number. He now had IMPULSE’S phone number. He felt like he was on cloud nine as the florist disappeared into the night.

Maybe Grian and Joel will be allowed to work together again after tonight.

Chapter Text

Tango was floating.

Talking to Impulse again and not making a fool of himself stumbling over words was incredible. It's not like he's never talked to or been interested in anyone romantically, he was human for God's sake, but this one was different.

Something about the brunette was different, he just couldn't place his finger on why. Impulse is kind, attentive, he goes along with jokes and he seems interested in what Tango has to say. They were all good qualities in a person to be interested in. But there was just something different.

The morning was slow for Wednesday. Only him, Pearl and Cleo were on until the lunch rush and he's only served a handful of regulars. He was also well aware of the two whispering at the food service counter, like they were neighbours sharing the recent gossip in the street.

“Oi, quit that mothers meeting over there!” Tango called as he finished drying his reusable coffee cup, “You've still got things to do when it's quiet.”

“Yeah, like talk about your date last night?” Cleo was snarky and blunt, never leaving him wriggle room to try and explain himself away from embarrassment. And they were great at making him stutter.

“I-I… n-no... it was… it wasn't a date!” Tango huffed, not helping how his cheeks grew more red at the stifled giggles from the two.

“Either way, you still organised another one~” Pearl cooed, moving off the counter to lean against Tango and push her weight onto his shoulder. She was tall and easily towered over him before she pushed him down with her leaning, “Was I right? Was he your type?”

Tango rolled his eyes. He didn't want to admit so soon how correct Pearl was in reading him like an open book. But he also didn't want to be caught out in a lie for trying to cover his ego.

Why was being human again so hard?!

“Look… I don't want to say anything too soon…” Tango prefixed, pushing her off so his back and shoulder were pinching, “He's cute… and nice… but I don't want to jump into things and labels quickly, I just met the man!”

“Thats fine,” Cleo hummed, having come out from the kitchen to be in their space, “No one's expecting you to have sex with the man on the first week.”

The comment made both him and Pearl go red. They have no filter. Tango made a few huffs and grumbles as he tried to find an appropriate response to it in a professional way, “Cleo… stop… we're at work…”

Cleo smiled as they elbowed him, “Yeah yeah, either way, you just met the man, you don't need to date him the week you meet, that's just ludicrous.”

“Yeah… but I'm glad you did make a friend, old man,” Pearl smiled as she rubbed her arms with a hum.

Tango gave them a weak smile at that. A friend. He had friends, he considered his colleagues his friends. Though, he didn't really go out with them besides work dinners. Maybe they were right.

“Whatever, anyway, you need to get back to work,” Tango dismissed with a pensive laugh before going back to the front counter, hearing them whisper again. Today was going to be long.

–

The lunch rush didn't really occur today. It was pretty usual for a Wednesday to either be really busy or extremely quiet. It fell on the latter today.

Tango hummed as he worked on some more financial reports leading into the end of autumn and the financial year. This is something he did hate, paperwork, how all humans managed to find the most tedious and time consuming crap. Writing up the same question and answers to said questions every year started to get more overwhelming. Teaching Pearl helped ease a lot of the workload, but it didn't stop her questions about things he could write on autopilot.

He finished up his math for his tax before closing the book with a groan. He needs to let his mind have a break. And wouldn't you know a distraction was bestowed upon him like God themselves was listening.

“Hey Boss, wanna meet Gem?” Pearl asked, leaning against the open back door as she stared down at him.

“Oh uh, yeah sure,” Tango smiled, the tiredness on his face washing away as he got up. He always welcomed the distraction from having to do more adult stuff at work.

Just outside the kitchen, Tango could hear Cleo’s very contagious giggling as they stood next to what was basically their mini-me. She just seemed to have more energy compared to the chef.

“So? Did he say anything? Impulse is being a tight lipped jerk!” Gem groaned as she crossed her arms in a statement of irritation.

“Not much, oh, there he is, why don't you ask him?” Cleo hummed, gesturing her spatula towards Tango as he came up on the small ground. Tango swallowed as the shorter ginger whipped around so fast he swore she'd fall over, getting more nervous as her eyes sparkled with something dangerous.

“Tango! Right? Pearl has told me a lot about you!” Gem chimed excitedly, grabbing his hand to give it a quick shake, “I also heard you met my boss, what'd you think?”

Tango was a little in shock as he stared blankly at the onslaught of questions from the girl, “I uh… hi?” He managed to just croak out as Pearl came up beside him.

“Dont freak him out, Gemmy, he might have a heart attack and die,” Pearl teased as she took Gem’s attention away from Tango, earning herself a quick peck on the lips.

“Sorry, this is just so exciting! How can I not be intrigued by everything!” Gem mused as she stayed close to Pearl.

Tango could appreciate how cute of a couple they made, especially not having to imagine it from Pearl talking to him. He also found Gem’s energy both infectious and almost overwhelming, though he assumed it was just because this was his first time meeting her. He snapped out of his thoughts at someone calling his name, not hiding his confused expression at the two girls as he tried to think about what they might've said, “Sorry what?”

Pearl snickered at him before rolling her eyes, “how'd your not-date go?” She repeated, Gem’s eyes sparkling at the promise of learning more from what Impulse hadn't told her.

“Oh uh… it was nice, he distracted me from work for a while,” Tango complained lightly, trying to relax under the Ginger's very sharp gaze, “I feel like I could talk to him easily and he put in effort to listen… but I can't date him now, we just met, it'd be weird if we started dating so soon…”

“Well yeah, duh!” Gem scoffed, rolling her eyes as she pulled Tango down to her eye level, which wasn't too far below his, but significant, “I'm not saying to either of you marry the other and have, like, 50 babies! I'm saying get to know each other!”

She started, pulling Tango to sit down on a booth seat before she started talking again, “Look, I don't know what Impy told you but he moved here a month ago and has no friends. He's like a dad to me and I just want him to be happy.”

Tango could relate, honestly, being able to get closer to the other man might give him a friendship he's been needing.

“No, that's fair honestly…” Tango considered, shifting how he sat in the chair as he watched Gem pace slightly, “We're going out for dinner next week.”

Gem stopped right in her tracks as she turned to stare him down. He could not read the expression she was wearing but it made him slightly dread for Impulse’s next interaction with her, “It's not meant to be anything big, just a catch up again.”

Gem ignored his follow up statement, her smile growing as she cleared her throat and straightened up, “Of course! Definitely… have you messaged him?”

Tango eyed her suspiciously before shrugging it off and hummed a little, “Uh… not yet, I'll need to do that… but trust me kid, if anything comes of this, Pearl will be one of the first to know, she knows everything.”

Gem rolled her eyes in agreement at the statement, obviously falling victim to Pearl’s eerie knowledge about everything, “Ok… well… it was really nice actually meeting you, Mr Tango, I hope to see you again!”

She cheered, giving him a quick playful slap on the arm before going back to Pearl's side to leave.

–

The rest of the shift went along quietly, minus a few teasing jabs from Cleo as he ran food. He checked the time and hummed a little before looking out the door to see his replacement rushing in.

“Sorry boss!” Grian called as he ran past, barely opening the back door before he threw his bag and rushing back to the kiosk to sign in for his shift, “Fricking moron decided the driveway was a parking space and then Jimmy needed to talk to me before I could leave! Even though I told him I was late!”

Tango snickered at the younger man’s grumbling and sighed a little, “It's alright, G.”

Grian huffed as he sighed in and closed down the app before giving Tango his attention again, “So, Pearl told me the special guest went well?”

Tango stopped his mental timer for how long it would take Grian to bring it up, “I’m not putting you on with Joel for the rest of the week…”

Grian’s expression dropped to one of dread, swallowing nervously, “Did it not go well?”

“Oh no, it went great!” Tango smiled, not helping the laughter coming from him at the look Grian gave him in return, “I'm just not leaving you two together alone again until after my second meeting with him.”

“Wait, you have another date?!” Grian said a bit louder than he meant to, doing a little dance behind the counter at his excitement, “That's great!”

“It's not a date, too quick for that,” Tango quickly pushed back, much to Grian's disappointment, “I don't even know if I get along with him properly yet… remember how long it took for you to work well with Scar? It's like that.”

Grian grumbled something under his breath, closely resembling a curse, before looking back up at Tango, “I don't like when you're right.”

“So… all the time?” He teased, signing out as the clock ticked over to quarter past and took off his apron and nametag, “Martyn will be in to replace Cleo soon, Scar’s covering Zedaph at the tables, ok?”

“Yeah, all good, I'll be fine, old man,” Grian hummed teasingly as he leaned against the counter to watch Tango jump out the back to grab his bag and back out.

“Alright, cya tomorrow, G,” Tango smiled, waving him goodbye as he left. He waited a bit before pulling out his phone, looking at the contact he had made for Impulse late last night and opened the chat box.

‘Hey, are you available for next week?’