#doll jay

Tana/Alphonse/Seth

Tana has a name that's very fun to rhyme, so Tana Banana and Tana Bo-Fana are the kinds of casual nicknames they have with everyone, along with TanTan because I think it's cute. Tana has a more-is-more approach to accessorizing, which means you can hear them coming from a mile away and Alphonse will sometimes call them Jangles along with his Boo/Babe/Sugarboo repertoire. Seth's Southern charm nicknames are pretty hard to compete with for ideas, but I like the idea of him calling Tana the pet names Buns and BunBun, as their twin-bun hairstyle is pretty reminiscent of some pretty sweet treats. Plus Tana has an awful lot of ass and the double entendre is fun.

Tana has pretty fixed pet names for their boyfriends, favoring sweet themed pet names for their candy boy and to match with Seth's "Sugar." Seth's main 4 nicknames are cycled through as such based on Tana's mood at the time and how silly they're being:

Hon

Honey

Honey-bunch

Honey-bunches of oats

and honestly I think Seth is a sap for silly pet names, so he gets the last one a lot because Tana loves how he can't choose between laughing at the goofiness and melting at the affection. Alphonse's pet name is also a multiple choice questionnaire with Tana obviously choosing a candy for him:

Toots

Tootsie

Tootsie Roll

It's also got that sweet silliness, and there have been a non-zero amount of times where Tana has called him Tootsie Roll and they started singing and doing the dance and laughing like it's the funniest thing in the world. It's not really that funny, but it does make Alphonse crack a smile at his Boo every time. Also them calling him Toots cracks me up specifically, it's so dumb and I love it.

Monroe/Auron

Overall, Monroe isn't a huge fan of pet names. Their mom's favorite way to misgender them is to use feminine pet names, like "Mar-Bear" where the first part is a shortened version of their given name, Marilyn. Monroe's younger siblings will call them Roe, but that is allowed because those are basically their kids and it feels more like an additional name than anything. Overall, pet names tend to feel patronizing to Monroe, and they only like to be patronized in the bedroom. So rather than a cute pet name, being assigned a role like "my heart" in the moment suits Monroe far more. They do not give Auron a pet name unless they're teasing him, calling him things like Prince Charming when he's going overboard with the sweetness.

In terms of their d/s dynamic, I like Sir and Pet as their honorifics, as Pet is both gender-neutral and has that sort of "dehumanized but precious to me" vibe that I think suits what subspace looks like in their dynamic. Sir is pretty canon tbh, but I do love the idea of there being some all-hands meeting where Monroe addresses Auron and calls him Sir with juuuust the right inflection for the word to shoot straight downwards when it reaches his ears. Nothing obvious enough for anyone else to consider unusual of course, just enough to get some consequences for their bratty behavior later. In line with the Prince Charming from earlier, I think Monroe will sometimes call him Sir Auron with an exaggerated show of subservience, and if the address feels oddly familiar neither mentions it.

Casper/Charlie

The thing about deciding to make Casper their actual name (chosen to be their new name because of how precious it was as a name Charlie chose for them) is that I have actually removed a pet name from Charlie's arsenal, whoops. Luckily, I have a pet name that I think can fill that void nicely. With Charlie being a rat (figuratively) and DD being a raccoon (literally) I think it only makes sense that Casper also gets an urban-coded cutie, so they have the nickname Pigeon, sometimes shortened to Pidge. Along with me just loving pigeons, something about Casper coming to Charlie like a homing pigeon that didn't forget the way home just feels right. Casper uses the skateboard trick nickname "Ollie" from when they were kids with Charlie a lot, along with calling him their Rattie or Sugar Glider.

Eden/Finn

Garden Variety Finn: Eden's canon nickname of "Sunflower" divides into their two kinds of nicknames from the flower shop Finn. He'll call them Sunshine or Sunbeam, and he'll also toss out more flowers for them. Why call someone baby when you can call them Baby's Breath? Eden's not particularly used to using pet names, as past partners have called their attempts awkward at best. In their exes' defense, someone straight-faced calling you Earthworm can be a little tough to take, but Finn can read Eden well enough to know it's a term of endearment for how he brings life to his garden. They'll also call him Bumblebee or Honeybee, especially when he's being such a busy little bee running his shop the way he does.

Yandere (& Withered?) Finn: Orchid is a fine nickname, especially for how he wants to preserve Eden in a glass dome that keeps them perfectly contained in the ideal environment. Their adorable habit of reaching around to bite back against his firm love gives them additional plants in the garden of pet names, such as Belladonna (gender neutral lol) or Foxglove. In return, Eden names Finn for the weeds that see fit to strangle a lovely flower such as themselves, calling him Thistle or Dandelion, sometimes shortening the latter to Dandy (oh hey that's my fursona's name lol)

Bunny Finn: This one is interesting since I'm not sure if Bunny Finn's listener has a name? Like maybe Dearest but idk. In contrast to the floral and herbal leanings of the previous Finns, I associate Bunny Finn with a food-based garden and could see his pet names aligning that way. Names like Pumpkin or Sweetpea would suit their sensibilities just as well as they do their dinner plates. As a dryad, this Eden is even less accustomed to pet names than their human variants, and they only find themselves calling him Bunny or, if they're feeling particularly creative, Cottontail.

Vega/Faust

Vega's online handle is "CopyKat" so it goes without saying that she gets ALL of the kitty-themed nicknames, including Felis. Felis was a housecat constellation, but has since been absorbed into the greater Hydra constellation in terms of official recognition (tho I think one of the stars got the name?). He'll also call her Two Step since she's big in dancing, her first viral video being one where she did a DDR routine blindfolded and got an incredibly high score. Since Faust gave Vega the Star nickname based on his own streamer branding, obviously they had to give him one based on their own. So she'll often call him Catnip, and if they're in proximity the nickname will be accompanied by a sudden burst of physical affection like how a kitty rolls around in catnip. I think it starts as one of those "oh yeah, we're TOTALLY FRIENDS" things that makes everyone in the general vicinity roll their eyes and take bets on when these numbskulls will realize they're dating.

Aditi/Angel

Running in theme with Angel, I like the idea of Lucien having pet names with a bit of mythological origins. Apple would be a cute one, referring to Aditi as his temptation that keeps him from returning Hell or, in another interpretation, as the golden apple that drives gods insane with jealousy. Aditi as the source of chaos that leads to the Trojan war? Lucien finds it fitting for him. Brimstone would be another fun one, and probably suit those goth vibes in a way that gets Aditi feeling all cool and smug before Lucien grabs and covers his face in kisses like he's a housecat. I really like Aditi using Jaanu as a term of endearment towards Lucien, as they would have grown up with their parents showing each other that kind of affection. They also never stopped calling Lucien Big Red, and now that they have his name they added things like Lulu to the name ammunition tray.

Jay/Seth

Jay has all those "babydoll" and "sweetheart" nicknames, sure, but with their origin as the Bird listener they also get some greaser-flavored nicknames along those lines. J-Bird is an obvious one, which evolved into just getting called Birdie in that soft tone of voice that makes them melt. Seth also has a real talent for making things like "fucking nerd" sound like sweet talk (why I have "Sweet Talk" by Saint Motel in their playlist tbh) and so he keeps bullying Jay with that updated context. Jay, for their part, loves the canine themed nicknames. Jay will.be calling Seth things like Big Dog, which makes him grumble that he's a wolf not a damn dog, but he loves it. When Jay is more in the mood to do a little ragebaiting, they'll call him Puppy and they both pretend he isn't So Fucking Into That when he snaps back at them. Wolf gets his own pet names, as Jay thinks it's important to treat him as his own person, with nicknames like Tough Guy and Tank. Both Seth and Wolf get called a Good Boy tho, and one is more honest than the other about how much he likes it.

Berard/Seth

Oh hello my Scout, I never do anything w/ you. The "Cub Scout" basis of the Scout pet name goes double for Berard, as he's a short and stocky guy who hasn't quite hit the stage of T where his dad's genetics are activating the body hair growth yet. So while tossing a playful Cub in there, Seth will also call them Bear or Teddy, as Berard simply has bear vibes even without taking the "husky gay nonbinary guy" elements into account. Berard likes to call Seth his Sasquatch, teasing him and also being heavily envious of his body hair situation, as well as calling him Trout, considering themselves lucky for the fact that this fish returned to their little river so that the two could meet.

Winslow/Alphonse

Similar to Werewolf!Seth, the Clownphonses coat their affection in a level of meanness, though the vibes are sharper since these two are yandere and tsundere. A favorite nickname besides the condescending pet names is Slowpoke, partially for the second half of Winslow's name, partially to call then dumb in that sort of dollification way that I like to think Winslow has been low-key brainwashed, and partially to tease them for every time the two play their own sexy/dangerous version of tag with their favorite toy. Winslow actually doesn't use any nicknames for either Alphonse, simple referring to each by name. "Does it get confusing that they have the same name?" someone asks, and Winslow tilts its head to try and process the question. "How is it confusing?" Then they call out each Alphonse individually from a distance and all 3 know exactly who they're calling for. Idk something about that tickles me.

Rowan/Thomas

We haven't spent a whole lot of time with Thomas for me to get a handle on their exact relationship vibe, but I can figure out a few nicknames based on Rowan's traits at least. Part of their backstory is that, while between jobs as a travelling farm laborers, they earned recognition by saving a civilian from a werewolf attack (on the night that the treaty was broken, if I'm not remembering the timeline wrong) armed with a pitchfork, so they sometimes get called Sheepdog for defending against a wolf like that. They've also got ginger hair and a tan that's more pink than brown, they're perfect for nicknames like Carrots or Gingy. I know that they're already crushing on Thomas at this point of the story (because Look At Him!) but I don't have enough of a handle on their dynamic to figure out how playful they can be with a nickname when not in the middle of Plot, so gonna have to hold on that.

Jay/Ulrick

When the dimmed lights of the room started to regain their luster and the credits rolled cheerfully up the screen, Jay flew out of Seth's grip so quickly that they practically left a smoke outline. After he joined them in the aisle with intentionally slow strides and an exaggerated stretch to make them squirm, Jay took Seth by the hand and dragged him with an adorably insistent speed to his truck, which he had the foresight to park somewhere with ample privacy for this exact reason. As soon as Seth was in the driver's seat his view was obscured by a blur of blue hair as Jay took position straddling his lap and sliding their arms over his shoulders and around his back, their soft lips slamming against his in a bold move that had him eager to rise to the challenge. Unfortunately, the two of them only had a few moments in that intimacy before the sound of a loud bang caught their attention, freezing them mid kiss. Seth's brain caught up with him and his experience gave a name to the sound, so he prioritized safety over manners to roughly push Jay to the passenger's side and onto the floor. They were shoved to a kneeling position below the window's line of sight, and Seth did his best to take a similar defensive stance even with the wheel and pedals in his way stabbing against his body. A prickling series of ghost hackles stood at high alert along his hunched spine despite his inability to shift, and his ears strained to get past the sound of Jay's heart banging out a soldier's march next to him. "Stay in the car," Seth growled, the low rumbling sound barely crawling over the deafening tension surrounding them.

Jay's dark brown eyes widened in a panic, and they shot Seth a desperate look that was accentuated by their glasses. Despite their nerves, Jay was able to keep their volume low as they pushed out the words, "Seth, what's going—"

"Stay. In the fucking car." His voice seemed to layer over itself in that moment, the man and the wolf in a rare moment of total agreement as they prioritized Jay's safety. Biting back a protest, Jay nodded as Seth groped at the door handle next to him, rolling out as best he could. "Lock the doors," he hissed before easing the door closed. Whoever fired that gunshot earlier had missed the target, so he was hoping they lacked the visual confirmation that he wasn't alone. Once he heard the familiar sound of the locks latching into place, Seth began to move, trying to quickly put distance between them without giving his position away.

"Smells familiar," when he heard the the low voice that echoed in the back of his head, Seth nodded an affirmation to avoid unnecessary sound. The scent was an odd mix of natural musk and artificial chemicals, and it brought Seth a sense of panic that he hadn't felt since he was a little boy hiding from his daddy's whiskey temper. Despite identifying the scent, the urban medley of aromas that each sang out loudly kept Seth from being able to find any path out of place to follow. Were it a full moon his scenting ability would be at its peak, especially when his body shifted into that of the perfect predator, but Seth would have to make do with the level of senses available to him now. He continued to keep his pace quick and his body low, eyes frantically darting to and fro to find any evidence of life. He'd chosen a hiding spot for his date's after party well, and that cleverness was turning around to bite him directly on the tail as he was able to identify more potential hiding spots than people. If he was only relying on his eyesight he would have to say that this stretch of city was completely devoid of life. "If I'm right about who that is..." that internal voice trailed off, almost like he was afraid to put words to his fear and give it the power to become tangible. The wolf he called a head-mate didn't get scared often, Seth hadn't felt this from him since that night fate had tied them together with barbed wire in a hangman's noose. "It's a good thing we had our doll stay behind," he finished lamely. Seth didn't call him out on the unfinished thought, he knew the two of them shared the same gut and that they both had that feeling of a stone sinking deeper into it, and despite not knowing the scent as well as his partner Seth also knew they shared the same suspicions.

Another shot rang out, but Seth felt it before he heard it. He doubled over with a hiss, his hand flying to his ribs in an instinctual bid to hold the fragile area together, his thick fingers squeezing to apply a pressure that left them sticky with the start of oozing blood. His head shot in the direction he heard the sound from, his lip curling upwards in marriage of a grimace and a snarl. A nearby streetlight flinched, its illumination flickering and pulling highlights of wolfish gold from Seth's brown eyes. His gaze was stationary now, fixed on a point where he could make out the dark outline of a person in a tactical position behind a large vehicle that spotted a collection of faded parking tickets.

"That's her, alright."

The legs that were folded him in a compact runner's crouch wanted to release that tension and dart forward, but Seth kept the leash on his instincts taut. Memories flooded him in an unstoppable torrent from that night he would call his first as a werewolf, and images came to him in flashes that would see fit to drown him if he let them continue without resistance. He saw the old hideout where his previous boss kept him and the rest of his collection of lost boys on a tight rope. He saw that same woman who stood before him now, clutching some stone that glowed a silver white as she stared that old boss down. He saw the unfamiliar look of fear on that bastard's face as his ragtag army crumpled like wet paper from the efforts of a single attacker, cruel and efficient in her sport. Hunters come in many varieties, and this one? She pays no heed to collateral damage, seeing all loss of human life as the justified means that bring her to the end result of one less wolf, or at least this particular kind of werewolf. The memory issued a warning to him that he would very likely die tonight.

With Seth downed as he was by the shot to his chest, the hunter saw fit to move closer, that same stone from that night glowing even brighter and she closed the distance between them. She's an older woman, the lines of age and the lines of muscle definition claiming most of her body, only to be outclassed by the pale lines of scars the hatched across her skin like a comic artist's page. Every piece of damage that marred her skin was proof that she went up against something strong and that she won, and those icy blue cold eyes stared down Seth with a contempt that made it clear he would be joining that tally, her gun now holstered in favor of a close-range weapon: a vintage-looking knife that's out of place compared to the modern mercenary ensemble she sports with straps and holsters and such.

The details that Seth has are hazy, as even with the progress between him and the wolf there are still gaps of information from the walls he built between the two of them, but he remembers a few things from that night. He remembers that same knife getting buried in his boss's back as he tried to take advantage of any time his meat shields would buy him, Seth among the fallen but not quite dead yet. He recalls the sick sound of her pulling the knife out from the flesh and bone it was lodged in and cleaning it off, following which she left them all for dead with the assumption that all of the humans were quickly turning cold. There's a memory of the way that his boss spoke in a voice that wasn't quite his as he called out to the only surviving member of his brute force, and he had targeted every insecurity he'd observed over his time with Seth in a series of comments and digs. That greasy voice he hated accompanied by a gravelly undertone he would grow to hate kept going on and on until, in a final bid to have some control over his narrative before he died, Seth pulled himself up with his arms and dragged the dead weight of his body over to him, using the last of his strength to grab the switchblade his mother left him and bury it in that monster's black heart. Seth knew he was going to die that night, but at least he would do so knowing he dealt the final blow to the man who had laid claim to his life and all it's most recent mistakes.

And then Seth didn't die.

Neither did the wolf.

"I was overconfident," the hunter observed in a controlled voice, her steely eyes measuring the man before her and finding him wanting. "So focused on exterminating the blight that I failed to account for a fresh host behind for it to infect." Thick dark brows pushed her eyes into a narrowed look of disgust, "it will not be a mistake I repeat." She continued onward towards Seth, pocketing the stone that led her to him and adjusting her grip on her blade.

It's easy to assume that a werewolf on a night without a full moon is little better than a typical human, but that is a fool's gambit. Ever since he was saddled his canine hitchhiker, Seth's been gifted with enhancements to not just his sensory abilities, but to physical aspects that exceed the standard humans. He's not stupid enough to think a seasoned werewolf hunter will make the mistake of underestimating what he could do in this state, wounded though he was, and that's why he fought the instinct to rush forwards and try to get her before she could get him. Instead he boded his time for those crucial few seconds, hand tucked underneath his jacket to grip at his bloody shirt and the ribs screaming underneath, keeping his snarl fixed to his face like a cornered mongrel. As soon as the hunter was in swiping range she lifted her blade, but that meant she was in Seth's range too and he struck first with his Mama's knife, pulling it free from its interior pocket. He quickly hooked his arm around the hunter's leg she had forward and pulled the blade towards him in a quick motion to slash across the fabric and muscle there. Not even taking the seconds to inspect how successful his attack was, Seth pushed the hunter to throw off her balance and dash past her. He could hear the sounds of her swearing as she stumbled against the asphalt but once again avoided the temptation to check for a confirmation, electing to run as fast as his legs could take him.

The voice of the wolf was silent this whole time, the two of them synchronized through their actions in ways that mere conversation could never compete with. Now that he was on the move, Seth let down his walls to let his werewolf instincts take more control over the wheel. Legs pumped in leaping strides despite the strain to his chest that adrenaline couldn't quite override, and Seth took the corner of the block sharply to buy even a few moments where the hunter couldn't see him. Some logical part of Seth's brain knew that he just needed to keep buying time, this may be more of a business district than residential area but there's no way no one else heard the two gunshots and called the cops. Hell, Jay may have developed actual survival instincts for once and called in the pack for reinforcements. Whether cop or wolf, this area would soon be crawling with those actually equipped to handle a hunter. If it was the former, Seth could even feign proper victimhood since he's just a human getting attacked by another human in the eyes of any onlookers, though he really would prefer the pack to handle this. He never got caught for technically murdering his last boss and would like to keep it that way, and digging into the hunter could reveal those moments of their shared past. He took another sharp turn to dip between two buildings, descending into the alley between them and quickly approaching a sturdy fence with chain link layered over wood, a No Trespassing sign to keep any would-be criminals from the precious dumpsters the two buildings shared. Not allowing anything to break his momentum, Seth flew with a powerful leap to the connecting corner, pushing against the wall of the building to vault over the fence with his hands quickly making use of the interlocked metal in the fence to control his direction and ensure he landed on top of the now-visible dumpster with a loud bang that echoed against the empty interior of his makeshift landing pad as well at the walls of the alley. "She definitely heard that" the wolf warned, not in chiding but as a reminder for Seth to keep his guard up. The dumpster beneath his feet stumbled without the weight of trash to keep it properly anchored, but Seth moved to the adjacent dumpster with his next step, less velocity and more garbage making that a more stable foothold. He vaulted once more, this time using his arms to leverage himself over the fence from the higher position he was at.

Another bang echoed in the alleyway, this time from a third gunshot of the hunter. Seth yelped before his brain caught up to recognize where he was hurt. The leg that he threw forward in his maneuvering suddenly exploded in pain, and when Seth tried to correct and switch his landing position in a panic his body didn't catch up the way he wanted to. His unshot leg took its position beneath his falling body, but he could feel and hear a loud pop as it bent to the side the wrong way, his arm flying forward to take the brunt of the fall. Seth swore loudly in pure instinct, and when his legs scrambled beneath him to get back up they both protested loudly, one shooting pain all the way up his spine while the other crumpled uselessly, not even able to bear weight. Choosing the lesser of two afflictions, Seth ignored the way his right leg almost seems to crackle with pain to push himself up and limp to the end of the alley, abandoning the sidewalk there to cross the street further and look for some kind of nook or cranny.

That's where Seth is now, his vision spotting as he holds himself in place, his only cover in the form of a small gap in a new alley. The alley itself is wide enough for a large vehicle to drive through, so it will be easy for the hunter to join him in a minute if he's lucky to have earned even that much time. The small space between two buildings barely fits him, so if she follows him into the cramped space it will limit both of their abilities to grapple and hopefully he can take some advantage of that, though if she opts for the gun again that would nullify that particular boon. "We need to keep moving," the wolf growls in a panic, his own instincts a white hot thread that cuts against his better senses while trying to pull them both towards survival.

"Just gimme a sec here," Seth grumbles in a low irritable voice. He shifts his weight to see if his left leg can take anything yet, and it wobbles dangerously before he shifts back his weight, pushing the palm of his hand against the joint to try and get everything in the right spot. He just needs the damn thing to hurry up and swell enough to hold his kneecap in place and he can try and move with more efficiency. The longer-term effects aren't much of a concern, werewolf transformations are technically harder on his body than this dislocation, so he'll heal from the damage to his legs along with the possibly punctured lung so long as he lives long enough to get there.

The sound of crunching asphalt beneath boots tells Seth that he's not going to be getting around to that healing. He grits his teeth, grips his knife, and shuffles backwards further into the darkness. "Keep your mouth shut boy," the wolf warns and Seth fights the urge to snap back that he's full and well aware of that thank you very much. However, it turns out the warning was less in regards to trying to keep his cover and more about giving the wolf a moment for final words. "When she kills you with that knife, she's taking both of us out for good. It won't let me move into her body and neither of us would want that anyways." Seth almost wants to roll his eyes, cry him a fucking river that when he dies the wolf can't find someone and make himself their problem now. Boo fucking hoo. The hunter moves closer, her steps intentionally even and casual rather than moving with speed. All three of them know that Seth and the wolf are dying here and now, and for her part she's savoring the moment. "Truth is, I wanted to die with you anyways," the wolf admits. It's odd how it sounds like a confession forced through gritted teeth despite how technically there isn't even a mouth that the wolf speaks to him with, and it's easier to focus on that detail than the discomfort of this moment of vulnerability. "I've been jumping bodies for a long time and I was looking forward to finally dying in a peaceful way with a pack that would actually mourn me after. Thanks for finding a good one for us, even if this ain't the death I was hoping for." The hunter enters the alleyways and Seth's line of sight, her professionalism not so intact that she can keep the triumphant smirk from her face as she spots her cornered prey. "At least Jay's safe," the wolf adds as a final moment to count his blessings. The hunter is close now, nearly to the midpoint of the alleyway as she unsheathes her fancy wolf-killing knife. "If they have any sense, our doll shoulda used the keys you left behind and gotten the hell out of dodge."

Jay, as it turns out, does not have any sense. With a speed that's almost comical in how it cuts through the tension of the moment, squealing tires bring that rusted truck into Seth's view for only a second before it's gone, and the hunter is no longer visible either. Seth uses both arms to push against the walls on either side of him like crutches, swinging his lower body forwards to land on his right leg. That pop-rocks style of pain shoots through him again, accompanied as it is by the painful wheeze in his chest, but Seth couldn't give less of a damn about that now that Jay has stupidly added their safety back to this equation. The truck is stopped now, a complete lack of visible lights to give its position away from a distance or give Seth an immediate visual on the hunter. He takes another hobbling step closer to the vehicle, his heart pounding as he needs more than anything in the moment to see that Jay is safe. He's not even looking for the hunter, he just limps over to the driver's side door and bangs his first against the window. He can see Jay lean down and turn the manual crank of his old-as-balls truck to open a sliver of the window. Before they can get started on any of their excuses, Seth starts in on them, "Is your brain just a fucking paperweight to keep your head from blowing away?!? What the hell are you doing here, you idiot!?!?"

"Hey, I stayed in the truck like you said!" Jay returns in outrage. "And I called the boss," they add, though it's not buying them any points in the Survival Instincts tally since he's not here yet. "He also told me to stay in the truck, so I'm actually listening twice," they finish, sounding far too proud of themselves for that mental gymnastics required for that kind of math. "And I saved you!" Jay adds as they lean forward and turns the headlights on, and Seth can now see the body of the hunter a few bounds ahead of the parked truck. There's a rise and fall to her body, but she's completely out cold with blood leaking from her nose and mouth.

People who say it's a bad idea to date a coworker only say so because they don't know the thrill of sneaking in some quick canoodling when the two of you have the place to yourself. The pair are a blur of denim and leather as Jay is pressed against Seth and Seth is pressed against a cleared work table, their hands moving with urgency as the they make out. The radio has been shut off so that they can hear if a car approaches with enough time to run to their stations and look as inconspicuous as possible. Seth pulls away from the kiss, looking down at Jay with predatory and hungry eyes, "Not to say no to a good time, but the crew'll be back any minute with grub. We should probably wrap this up." Despite his words, he leans back down to grab at Jay's lips again, slipping his tongue between them to enjoy his new favorite past-time. He grips tighter at his current place hold on their ass to lift Jay higher on their toes and closer to him, enjoying the whimper they make in the process as they cling tighter with arms wrapped around his neck.

Jay pulls away this time, their big brown doe eyes doing treacherous things to his heart, even with the level of separation he should be getting from their dorky cat-eye glasses. "I want to make you feel good." They grab at his shirt tentatively, waiting for his permission to continue, and that does even more devious things to his heart, fucking hell. Their smile is shy and a little mischievous and he wants to see what that little minx is thinking about. "Can I?"

Seth offers a crooked grin down at Jay, "Show me what you've got in mind, sweetie." He lets go of Jay, surrendering full control of the situation to their machinations. He reaches behind him and grabs at the edge of the table to anchor himself, his mind already eagerly supplying possibilities for what they have in store for him.

Jay tugs up at his white tank, pulling it free from where it was tucked into his jeans, and they dip their hands beneath the fabric for access to his bare torso. Their hands' journey stops at the bottom of his chest and they make contact, each fingertip lightly pressed to his skin. They drag both hands down, the blunts of their nails scraping lightly at every nerve in their path. Seth recoils like their touch was electric, instincts having him scramble backwards and halfway onto the workbench with a loud, "What the HELL are ya doing?!?!?" His eyes are wide with a combination of shock and defensive indignation, his upper lip curling in something like a snarl.

Jay pulls back immediately, equally startled by the sudden shift in mood. "I… I'm sorry?" They hold their hands up like this is a stick-up, taking a cautious step back. "The big guy likes tummy scritches so I just thought…" Jay trails off, sheepishly tucking an errant blue curl behind their ear. It's hard to stay mad at them when they're being so cute about this, but Seth is nothing if not stubborn.

"Hell yeah he does," Seth hears that damn wolf snicker in his head almost like it's a voice in his ear. He's not sure if that smug tone is from the pet name or at Seth's predicament, but either way he's reminded once again how satisfying it would be if he could just swing a punch on that stupid dog nose at least one time.

"The big guy," Seth pitches his voice mockingly to imitate Jay's use of the nickname, "has a layer of fur and thick wolf skin." Seth's got both feet firmly planted on the ground now and feels like he reclaimed some of his dignity in the process of looking less like a cat trying to hide in a tree. "Y'know, there's more between you and all the organs stored in there."

Jay gasps and closes the distance to grab at Seth's shirt again, lifting it up despite his protestations, "Did I hurt you?" They look over his chest and stomach areas, checking to see if they left scratch marks on his skin.

Seth yanks his shirt from their hands and pulls it back over himself. Any other day he'd be pleased as punch to have this little cutie ogling at his body, but his temper's just too frayed to handle this right now. "You didn't hurt me, now cut that out and drop it." His voice is firm and clipped, and he shoots Jay a glare that leaves no room for misinterpretation.

Jay misinterprets the look, "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" They grab at the bottom of their jacket subconsciously, rubbing the frayed denim edge between their fingers. "I don't know if my nails were maybe sharper than I thought, or maybe—"

"Drop. It." Seth interrupts with a sigh, holding his head in his hand for a moment. "You didn't hurt anything but the mood." He just wants this conversation to be over as quickly as possible. Seth's had some variations of this talk over the years with his previous flings, and most of them caught on to his issue with that kind of soft touch a lot quicker than this and then proceeded to ruthlessly tease him with it. For once, he counted himself lucky that his current squeeze was such an airhead when it came to social cues, it certainly made this whole thing less complicated.

"Seth… did I tickle you?"

Seth pulls his hand from his eyes with a narrowed gaze, not trusting the budding excitement in Jay's eyes. "No." The word comes out more like an order as he turns to skulk off towards… well, anywhere that gets him some safe distance.

Jay follows behind, either obliviously cheerful or teasingly so. Perhaps a combination of the two. "So is that 'no, it didn't tickle' or is it 'no, don't try that again'?" They have their hands clasped behind their back as they walk, now reassured that Seth isn't actually hurt or mad at them, just embarrassed and grumpy about it.

"Both," he grumbles irritably, turning his head to the side to shoot Jay another glare in profile as he keeps his pace.

Jay remains unaffected by his heat, which is honestly nothing new. Even when he was more firmly designated as their workplace bully they never had the good sense to recognize when his temper was starting to boil over. "But if you're not ticklish, then why would it be an issue if I tried again?" Jay's smile is playful as they goad at Seth, poking at his arm.

"They've got you there, kid." The wolf oh-so-helpfully supplies in his head, his amusement thick enough to choke on. Seth wishes he would.

Seth jerks his arm back from Jay's poking range irritably, "What am I gonna have to say to get you off my ass about this?" The two of them reach the front desk area, and Seth realizes that unless he takes a stroll outside and runs the risk of the pack getting an eyeful of him fleeing from the fucking desk clerk, he's hit a dead end and escape would require doubling back around.

Jay's smile warps from mischievous to malicious and they make a pair of claws with their hands, "Just say Uncle." They take a single threatening step towards Seth, also giving him the opportunity to take the out with only minor damage to his ego.

Seth practically jumps at the step, an anticipatory grin pulling at his face despite his best efforts. "N-now, don't go doing anything stupid." He backs up, keeping his eyes pinned on those hands to prepare for the defensive. "You know that I'll get you back for whatever nonsense you pull here."

Jay giggles, and Seth stubbornly pushes back against the part of him that is utterly charmed by the sound, reminding himself that Jay is (currently) the enemy. "The problem with that is that I like it when you get back at me." Jay bats their eyes with a laugh, probably not even aware of the bullseye that hits on the exact center of Seth's heart. "So… last chance Mr. Cranky-pants," Jay's fingers wiggle with all the threatening energy of a loaded pistol, "do you want to go ahead and surrender now?"

Seth bites his tongue, glaring down at Jay stubbornly. "Doll, if you touch me, I swear I'll—" His protests are cut off with a strangled laugh as Jay leaps forward, their fingers of doom making contact with his sides and wiggling wildly against them. Seth twists and backs up to make distance, but it's in vain as Jay follows his body easily, backing him against the desk and trapping him there for non-stop tickles trailing from hips to ribs and back again. This would not normally be enough to subdue a werewolf, even in his human form, but Seth's priorities while being attacked are, unfortunately as follows:

Don't accidentally hurt Jay

Don't break something and have to explain how it happened

Do! Not! Accidentally! Hurt! Jay!

Get away from the tickle monster

So Seth is hunched over, laughing his head off and only fighting back by making attempts at grabbing Jay's hands, failing spectacularly. Jay's actually a little disappointed by this; they grew up with a mix of older and younger siblings and they would relish in the opportunity to show off these combat-adjacent skills. Oh well, taking a turn at being the bully will have to be enough satisfaction for now. The telltale sound of tires rolling over loose gravel breaks the two of them apart in a flash, Jay literally jumping backwards and pulling their hands back. At least the smile they shoot is more sheepishly apologetic than triumphant. "You good?" They're smiling even harder than Seth, though his grin is slowly starting to lose its forced edge.

Panting with exertion (mostly from holding himself back, he would later insist), Seth leans forward and snarls, "You are going to pay for that you little brat." Okay, now there's no smile anymore.

Jay isn't sure if it's the way Seth has a literal growl catching at the r in brat or if it's just all the fun implications of that word, but they can't resist getting one more (verbal) jab in. "It's not my fault you're too ticklish for tummy scritches." With that comment, Jay circles back behind the desk, taking their seat and demurely lifting up their reading for the day. They smirk to themselves and pretend that they've just been reading this whole time as Seth stomps back to the garage proper. Jay squeaks their chair slightly as they wiggle in excitement at ideas for what kind of payback they'll be getting for that later.

The bell on the door rings as the rest of the crew enters, the boss in front with a steely gaze. Ulrick nods at Jay as the others make their way in. "After breakfast, see me in the office. Need a word with you." Jay is definitely not terrified by that, nope, not even the slightest bit. They smile and nod an affirmative, and he makes his way to his office.

Beck, the assistant manager, pulls a breakfast sandwich from a paper bag and hands it to Jay, "You're not in trouble, kid," she reassures in a gruff voice. "Boss just wants to touch base with you before the meeting." She passes the desk to head towards the garage, the handful of mechanics following behind with their own breakfasts.

Following up the rear is Mason, the other member of the garage in the same age bracket as Seth and Jay. He's holding the tray of drinks and hands one off to Jay, "And here is your complicated concoction that I cannot, in good conscience, refer to as a coffee." Jay takes it gratefully, inhaling the caramel aroma with a giddy smile. "Don't say I never did anything nice for you," he says with a wink, hovering by the desk for a moment to talk.

"You're the best Mason, thanks. How much do I owe ya?" Jay reaches inside their jacket to find their wallet, but stops as he makes a tutting noise.

"Don't worry about it, I know you'll get me something next time. Just say I'm the best again and we'll call it square."

Jay laughs and puts their wallet away, not having to be told twice. "You're the best!" This is very good for Jay's very tight budget, and they would say pretty much anything to keep it that way.

Mason makes a dramatic sigh of relief as he clutches his chest, "and that never gets old to hear. Talk to ya later, nerdy birdie." He heads to the garage with a playful salute and his breakfast spoils, shooting Seth a shit-eating grin as he passes. He knows damn well that Seth heard every word of that conversation and it's entertaining to see his grumpy reaction to someone else doing some friendly flirting with his crush.

About ten minutes later, Jay knocks on Ulrick's door before entering cautiously. "So, Beck said I'm not in trouble but I don't know if she was just saying that so that I wouldn't be worrying about it so… am I in trouble?"

Ulrick gives a short grunt, "You're not in trouble, little bird." He moves some papers to the side to keep his focus on Jay, and they're once again taken by how he dwarfs the desk with his massive build. He looks like he should be doing work as something like a celebrity bodyguard or one of those celebrities that are hilariously beefier than their bodyguards, but instead he's heading a garage in the middle of the boonies. In retrospect, that could have been one of the "this is a werewolf pack" flags that Jay missed, they're learning that there were a lot of those. Ulrick speaks with his low and controlled voice, "Today's the monthly meeting, and now that you're in the know about the pack I want you in it." Oh, so that's why Jay had to keep the doors closed before during the monthly meetings: they included werewolf junk. Jay raises a hand, and Ulrick mirrors the gesture by raising an amused eyebrow, "Yes?"

"Does this mean I'm a part of the pack?"

Ulrick hums an affirmative, "As far as I've seen it, you've been honorary pack since I hired you for the job. At least to the extent that we look out for our own." He leans on his desk with crossed arms, "Before it was just little things, like keeping the more unsavory customers from your desk or making sure Seth doesn't play too rough when our pup gets an attitude," Jay blushes at that comment, though Ulrick doesn't seem to notice, "but from now on I want you in the meetings. These things affect you, even if you're not joining us on our hunts. You know too much for it to be safe for you to not know everything else." Ulrick pauses for a moment, mulling something over in his mind before speaking, "In terms of things you should know about… You should consider that we can hear things a lot better than humans can. It's why I invested in soundproofing for this office."

Jay nods at the information, before the sentence fully catches up to them and they freeze, "OH!" Their heart rate spikes and they can feel their face heating up again, "You mean everyone heard…?" Ulrick gives a singular nod, not interested in matching Jay's energy in the slightest. He's too old for these kind of dramatics. "Oh god, so everyone knows that we're dating?"

That does get a reaction from Ulrick, who coughs when a startled gasp gets saliva down his throat wrong, "Hells Jay, I didn't realize your taste was such shit. I was talking about the conversation you two were having not… goddamn" The coughing turns to a laugh. Being too old for youthful dramatics doesn't mean you can't get a kick out of how ridiculous said youth get about them. "Might do some good things for the mood around here. His mooning and sulking was a bit entertaining to watch, but probably not the best for morale." He waves Jay away to end the conversation, much to their relief. The idea that the entire garage could tell that Seth had a thing for them when they were convinced that they had the most one-sided crush in the world is absolutely mortifying. "Oh, and send the pup in here after ya. Want to talk to him too."

Jay practically runs from the office in embarrassment, making a beeline towards the garage area. All the various mechanics are seated between the floor, car tops, and even the occasional chair. Seth and Mason, however, seem to be in a wrestling match or something? Jay looks to the other in confusion, but they're more focused on chuckling in good nature at the pups and their play-fighting. Seth's got Mason in a headlock and is holding him in place, while Mason just laughs back at him. "C'mon, I just want to hear more about those tummy scritches you got!" The garage erupts in a series of cackles, and Jay can feel themselves sink into the floor.

"Uhhh, Seth?" Jay pipes up shyly, feeling every set of eyes turn to them. "Boss wants to see you."

Seth shoves Mason to the floor with a grumble and walks over to Jay. He leans in close and snarls, "Cancel your ride tonight." Jay's pulse quickens at the threat in his way of saying "I'll bring you home after work" and they have to admit, there's a thrill in it. Seth makes his way to the office and slams the door behind him. The boss is probably tearing into him for that, but not even the wolves can hear it behind the closed door.

Mason grins up at Jay and pats the floor next to him, "C'mon, I saved the best seat in the house for you, Jay." He says that as though he had chosen his spot carefully rather than him being thrown to it.

With a sigh, Jay sits down cross-legged next to Mason fiddling with their jacket sleeve anxiously. "I think I might have seriously pissed him off this time," they admit wryly, looking at the door Seth had gone through.

Mason gives a bark of laughter, "Nah, that was all me and I'm not letting you take credit for it." He reaches over for his drink that he abandoned in favor of some rough-housing and takes a sip. "You could probably slip some paint in his coffee and he wouldn't actually be mad at you." He brightens and turns to Jay excitedly, "You should give that a try sometime, I bet it'd be hilarious."

Jay gives a forced smile, "I'll pass, but thank you." They're regretting finishing their drink so quickly, their hands are antsy without something to do with them. Would it be awkward to run to their desk and find a pencil or something to play with when this meeting starts? They didn't have the confidence to rock a full-on fidget toy at work, but just something in their hands would be a godsend.

Beck, who is perched on the hood of a nearby muscle car, gives Mason a warning look. "Keep the peer pressure to yourself, kid. We don't need any more troublemakers than we already got." Mason shrinks in on himself slightly and nods back in deference. Beck turns a much gentler look to Jay and asks, "Be a dear and grab me some aspirin from the desk? I get the feeling I'm gonna need it."

Jay nods, probably looking way too excited for someone on a gopher run, and dashes to their desk. They dig through the drawer for a moment before finding the bottle, then rotate it around in their hands to find… yep, not expired yet. They turn to get back to the garage before remembering what was so exciting about being able to go to the desk. They pivot back and grab a memo pad and pencil. The bell attached to the top of the door rings and Jay's head shoots up, "Oh, I'm sorry we're actually not open yet. There's a team meeting and—"

The woman walking in holds up a hand, "I'm here for the meeting too." She doesn't have any kind of branding to suggest that she's part of the garage team; if anything she's dressed very nicely with a collared shirt and khaki skirt. She does look familiar though… is this another of those werewolf flags Jay missed?

Jay glances behind the woman to confirm that the sign is still flipped to CLOSED before gesturing awkwardly, "Follow me, please." They lead her to the garage, where they see Seth has returned and taken a seat on the ground near the tire of one of the cars, keeping a distance between him and Mason that Jay will be able to fit back in easily. Ulrick is looking down on the room from the roof of the same car that Beck's perched on, and at this point Jay is assuming it has to be one of his. The boss wouldn't sit on a customer's car, right?

Beck jumps down from her spot and walks to the two entering the garage, "I'll take those, thank you Darling." Jay hands over the aspirin and Beck nods to the woman, gesturing to the car. With a fond smile, she takes Beck's hand and lets her help her onto the trunk of that same car, before Beck takes her seat again on the hood. The two flank the boss and it suddenly strikes Jay that Beck's position as second-in-command must extend to the pack as well as the garage hierarchy, and that raises so many interesting questions. Is she the assistant manager because she's his right-hand-woman? Vice versa? It is a happy coincidence, or maybe just overlapping skill sets?

Jay realizes that they're the only one still standing and awkwardly goes to that spot between Seth and Mason on the floor, sitting with their memo pad. Seth makes a face and reaches over, startling a yelp out of them as he grabs Jay by the shoulders and slides them across the concrete closer against him, shooting a territorial look at Mason. A tension takes the room and Jay blushes furiously, feeling every older wolf narrow their eyes with accusatory intent in their direction, though they don't understand why that is. Beck speaks up, "You're too old to teach about keeping your hands to yourself, pup." She quite literally growls at Seth, which would be silly to see if it wasn't coming from an older butch woman with arms for days. Jay can feel Seth tense against them, but he doesn't release his possessive hold around their shoulder.

Ulrick groans irritably, waving his hand like he's chasing an errant fly away, "Apparently, they're an item now. No need to get your hackles up." There's a collective sigh around the room, that tension dropping immediately. Apparently, it was purely a concern of Jay's boundaries being crossed and them being too shy to do anything about it themselves, which is honestly very sweet. "This is what I meant earlier about being pack," Ulrick's voice is even as he speaks, an authority emanating from him that Jay is unfamiliar with. Like yeah, they had nothing but respect for him to begin with, but something about talking as The Pack Leader brings a different energy out in him. "We look out for each other, even when it's other members of the pack we need to reckon with." He nods his head in Beck's direction, and Jay notices that they're dry-swallowing some of the aspirin. "Beck's like my first mate, treat anything she says like it came from me." Beck nods in agreement seriously. "Now, are there any questions you have before we move on to pack business?"

Jay looks down at their memo pad like it's not just full of scribbles to keep their hands moving with purpose. "If pack looks out for pack, is there something I should be doing to protect you?" They look up at Ulrick from their seated position, memo pad clutched tightly to their chest, which is not the most awe-inspiring example of protective energy they could be giving right now.

Ulrick gives an amused smile, but doesn't laugh off Jay's question. "Everyone contributes to the pack in their own ways. Beck's got more social graces than I do, so she keeps a closer eye on the inter-pack dynamics and lets me know if I need to step in." He looks to the other side at the well-dressed woman who came in later, "Resa here works in Fish & Game. She helped supply the cabin we go to every full moon, and she makes sure the land's still able to support our hunts. If that changes, she can figure out other areas that need more predators." He takes a moment to look over everyone else in the circle, "Working the garage supports the pack too. It lets me know you're all living well enough that I can keep my focus on our territory's needs, and the business funds some of the extra expenses we accumulate." He gestures to Jay specifically, "Believe me, you're protecting the pack just fine. I'd rather deal with an ancient Vampire Lord than the IRS any day."

Jay gasps loudly, "Vampires are real too?"

There's a relaxed laugh around the room and Mason leans over, ignoring the warning glare Seth gives him, "I'll get you a list, bestie."

Ulrick continues with the pack meeting, some details making sense to Jay and others a bit less so. Resa reports that the deer population in their hunting grounds is spiking, so they'll be the prey of choice at the next hunt. That makes a lot of sense! Then there's something about a nearby pack's politics shifting and there being a potential change in leader. That makes sense, but Jay's not super sure how relevant it is to this pack. Then there's a discussion about an upcoming car show they'll be participating in, which sounds more like garage business than pack business but okay.

Finally, the meeting ends and there's about five minutes before the garage is open to the public again. Seth helps pull Jay to their feet, reaching out and tucking some hair behind their ear when they stand at their full height. Jay grins up at him adorably, happy that his grumpiness from earlier seems to have faded. Mason appears like an apparition and leans his face between them with one of his trademark grins, "Get a room you two, no PDA in the garage." He ignores the middle finger Seth shoots at him and turns to Jay, "How about we get that confirmed cryptid list together before any customers show up?"

Jay perks up, the tingly feeling in their legs from sitting on the floor starting to feel like less of a concern. "That sounds great, thanks!" They turn back to Seth with a cheerful smile, "I'll talk with you later." Jay borderline skips to the front desk, memo pad in hand and the pencil now tucked behind their ear. Mason follows closely behind, walking backwards and wiggling his fingers at Seth in a faux flirtatious wave.

Seth grumbles and heads to his workstation, pretending he isn't hearing the wolf in his ear scold him. "Green is not a flattering color on you, boy." Seth starts to organize his tools, doing everything in his power to ignore him. "You know our sweetheart doesn't have eyes for anyone else, and Mason doesn't bark up any kind of trees. You're jealous over nothing."

"I know that," Seth mutters, keeping his voice low. The whole 'there's two of us in one body' isn't exactly the norm for the pack, so he prefers to keep these conversations as private as he can manage. He suspects that one day he might figure out how to just have them mentally, but there's no such luck today. "It just pisses me off."

"That's why he does it," the wolf counters with a tone like he's rolling his eyes. "He's like a crow tugging at wolf-tails, he's just playing with you." Seth can't stop himself from craning his ear to try and listen at Jay and Mason's conversation. The garage is bustling with activity as the guys with more to do than fucking oil changes are getting to work, so it's harder to pick up the words, but he can tell they're having a good time. Mason's being his friendly self and Jay is being their friendly self and the two of them are just so friendly and such good friends. He can't even really be that mad at it, he considers Mason as close to a friend as he'd admit and Jay deserves to have more connections in the pack but just… he doesn't even know why he feels like this. "Let it go."

The day passes like this, Seth swallowing his machismo instincts as best he's able while Jay rides the incomparable high of acquiring exciting new information about various fantasy species that they didn't know existed for realsies until now. When their mutual end-of-shift approaches, both are antsy to get out the door as fast as possible, their opportunities to talk during the day being too few and far between for their liking.

"Before you go," Ulrick stops Jay as they load their personal items into their bag to bring home, Seth hovering at the doorway and tossing his keys up and down impatiently. "I understand why you didn't want to just announce this new…" Ulrick struggles for a moment to find the word, "thing you have going on, but you'd better loop me or Beck in if it blows up in your faces." Well, that's a lead balloon of advice if Jay ever heard it. "You're entitled to your privacy and all that, but I don't need my pack getting bent out of shape like they did earlier because you're keeping something under wraps. If it affects the overall dynamic, it's important enough to share."

Jay deflates under Ulrick's stern gaze, "Sorry, Boss. I didn't really consider that."

"I'm not blaming you, little bird." Ulrick pats the top of Jay's head reassuringly, his large hand enveloping their skull in a way that they're definitely feeling normal about. "I'm blaming Seth."

"Hey!" Seth shoots a glare at Ulrick, almost immediately averting his gaze apologetically when he makes eye contact. He's still got some indignant fire though, "It's messed up to play favorites, Boss," he grumbles. "Betcha didn't give Beck and Resa this lecture."

Ulrick narrows his eyes in a clear challenge, "That's because neither of them started resource guarding each other like a damned chihuahua with a milk bone." Seth can't say a thing in response to that, so he settles for another grumble as he starts tossing his keys in place again. "If you can't figure out how to do this without treating the pack as competition, I'll be stepping in. Do you hear me?"

Seth is stubbornly avoiding Ulrick's gaze, knowing he'll instinctively cave under any kind of pressure from his pack's leader if he has to see it. "Loud and clear." Yes, it's a bit of a bratty delivery, but he's not disciplined for it. Ulrick is too familiar with Seth's particular brand of gruffness to mistake it for a genuine challenge to his authority. It's just something he does for the protection of his ego.

The implication of "I will make you two break up if you're not chill about this" flies right over Jay's head, and they finish loading their bag with a grin. "See you on Monday, boss!" They wave cheerfully, completely oblivious to the tension.

Ulrick nods with a gruff noise, "Enjoy your day off." He leaves the two of them to their own devices, his piece said.

It already feels so natural for Seth and Jay to load up into his truck at the end of a shift. Seth immediately rolls his window down (no it's not a Dog Thing stop calling it that) while Jay neatly tucks their bag under their feet, getting into position to stare out the window at the passing scenery before the truck even starts moving. Seth's not too particular about music, so he lets Jay play their old-school rock & roll playlists through the Bluetooth, and if pressed on the matter he'd admit that he's developing a fondness for the genre. After driving for a couple minutes, he reaches for the dial and turns the music down, "Did ya end up sorting out your roommate situation at all?"

Jay's reflection wrinkles its nose in irritation, "I wish." They turn away from the window to face Seth as they speak, "if I lived closer to the campus I could probably find at least a couple people who want to split a house rental with me, but the location just doesn't work for that." Jay sighs, fiddling with their jacket again at the topic. "Barb really screwed me over by flaking on this."

Seth grumbles, "You're too damn nice to people, you gotta stop just letting everyone walk all over you."

"Hey, I formally ended our friendship and everything," Jay protests the critique loudly. "I even mailed back the friendship bracelet she gave me."

Seth can't help but give a bark of laughter at that, "Oh no, not the friendship bracelet!" His voice is high-pitched and mocking, and Jay sticks their tongue out at him, before it twists into a smile. Seth considers reaching to turn the music back up, but instead feels his mouth give shape to the words: "Why don't you ask your work husband to live with you?"

"Are you being fucking serious right now? The Boss literally just chewed you out for this."

Seth bites at his tongue, just as surprised by the words as anyone who heard them. He doesn't even want to look at Jay right now and see what expression they're making. This insecurity he's feeling is utterly humiliating, and he doesn't need another voice besides the wolf in his ear pointing that out. Jay speaks up, and their tone is a bit befuddled, "I mean, wouldn't that be kind of fast?"

Seth has to chew on that for a second to determine if he's missing something, before he finally replies with an incredulous, "What are you talking about?" He looks away from the road since they're at a stoplight, but Jay's expression is not helping connect the dots at all. It's just the confused leading the confused here and someone's going to need to start making sense real soon.

Jay talks slowly, carefully examining each word before they say it to check for double-meanings they must be missing. "You asked if my 'work husband' could live with me… That would be you, right?" They say that like it's the most obvious thing in the world, and some kind of knot releases from Seth's shoulder that he wasn't aware of. "Because like… you're my boyfriend and we work together." Jay freezes, eyes going wide as they start to damage-control in a frenzy, incorrectly figuring out the problem, "I-I mean, I guess we never said… oh fuck, I made things weird didn't I? I just assumed that we were… fuck fuck fuck… I'm sorry, forget I said anything." Jay pulls their sleeve up to their mouth to chew on it. This situation calls for a more intense stimulation than usual.

Seth can't help the grin tugging at his face, even as he remembers that he should probably be saying something to help Jay calm down. "Yeah, I'm your boyfriend." More of that tension in his back relaxes and he swears he's getting a head rush from the difference it makes to just say that word himself. "And you're my… uh, whatever you want me to call you," he awkwardly finishes. "You know, besides a pain in my ass." Seth adds the quip like it's punctuation, pressing the gas to move the truck forward again.

Jay smiles shyly at Seth, denim fabric still clutched between their teeth as they do so. They pull it away and resume a more comfortable position with a suggested, "I could be your Doll? It's gender neutral, my favorite pet name you use, and I think it's cute."

"My Doll," Seth chuckles fondly as he tries the name on for size, "Yeah, it suits you."

"Our doll," his wolf corrects, even if Jay can't hear him.

Seth pulls the truck into Jay's driveways and parks it, "now wait right there, Doll." He hops out the driver's side door and circles the truck, opening the passenger side door with a flourish.

Jay giggles, "Aww, what a gentleman!" They unbuckle their seatbelt and go to delicately give their hand to Seth like a noble flirting with their footman, only to be thrown for a loop as Seth grabs them by the waist and throws them over his shoulder with a wild grin. Jay squeals as they're tossed around, legs kicking instinctively but making no contact with any sensitive areas. They don't fight the gesture otherwise, too overtaken with excited laughter to do anything but enjoy the ride.

Seth grabs Jay's bag and pulls their keys out, slamming the truck door with his foot and making his way to Jay's front door with his luggage safely secured. One of Jay's neighbors stares at the pair, clearly trying to weigh whether this is cute couple behavior or a crime in progress, only to be reassured when Jay waves cheerfully from their vantage point overlooking Seth's back. Seth fumbles with the keys for a moment irritably, struggling with only having one hand to work with, "Why do you have so many stupid key chains on this thing? I can't even find your house key."

"It's attached to the bird key chain that's also a whistle," Jay helpfully supplies, turning their head to aim their words at Seth's head instead of the street. For their advice, they hear the telltale sound of the door unlocking and they are brought into the doorway, Seth unceremoniously depositing Jay's bag and keys on the floor as they make their way through the house. He even take a moment go get both his and Jay's shoes off, which is very polite considering the urgency in his pulse. Seth charges through the hallway, making his way to Jay's bedroom with single-minded focus.

Jay's bedroom door is already open, so it's easy for Seth to reposition and toss Jay to their bed. They scream excitedly as they fly through the air with an exhilarating ease on Seth's part, landing perfectly with their head on their pillow, the blue coils of their hair splayed out against the satin material. They roll onto their back and hold the position with a grin, chest heaving in excitement as Seth clears the distance and looms over them from the foot of the bed with a devious smirk. "Don't be getting too excited now darling," he drawls with a forced laziness. "I seem to recall saying something earlier 'bout making you pay for that bratty behavior of yours."

Jay bites at their bottom lip, curling in on themselves lightly in a defensive position that doesn't hide how thrilled they are for a bit of fun with their boyfriend. "So, what? Are you going to tickle me now?"

Ulrick stares down at Jay for a moment with furrowed eyes, and they wonder if they really blew it this quickly. Jay really should have prepared themselves for this better, obviously a garage was going to be full of blue-collar men. Was even applying for this job a mistake? No, after getting stuck with full rent on a house thanks to Barb flaking on being roomies, Jay literally can't afford to be picky. That also means they can't afford to be acting like such a scaredy-cat just because they're in a small space alone with a man in the middle of nowhere while more men are just outside that office door and— "Ulrick is fine," he interrupts their train of thought with an even voice. "The others call me Boss if that suits you." Jay nods, perhaps a bit too quickly, and Ulrick sighs. He moves to walk past Jay, who stands just a little too straight to avoid flinching as their personal bubble is strained. The office door swings open and he calls out, "Beck!" Jay definitely flinches at the volume, but with Ulrick's back to them there's no way he noticed.

A new, also muscular form appears in the form of an older woman, her coveralls knotted around her waist to keep her thick arms free. Call Jay what you will, but a beefy butch is not scary the way a beefy man is, and they visibly relax at the sight of this Beck. Not only is her presence something of a safety net, but knowing that this workplace has someone like her does make Jay feel like their own queerness will be less of a potential target on their back. "Show our little bird around," Ulrick jerks his head to gesture at Jay as he talks, and they flush hotly at the nickname. It's definitely making them feel like a prey animal again. "Introduce the boys to em, make sure they know where everything is."

A few days later, there is a pack meeting disguised as a staff meeting. It's late at night after Jay got their ride home from a sibling, and the mechanics are in a circle in the garage discussing the new hire. "You see they way they shake like a leaf when we talk to em?" Seth crosses his arms in a huff, leaning against the car frame behind him. "I think they're catching onto the whole 'Moonrise Garage' namesake." He reaches into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulls out a switchcomb, running it through his hair as a sort of grounding activity. The fact he looks like the perfect cosplay of some 1950's bad boy is not lost on the others.

"Maybe they're just scared of you?" Seth's peer in age, Mason, pipes up from across the gathering. There's mischief in his eyes as he coats his words in the thickest helping of sincerity that isn't fooling anyone, "I mean, you're so big and scary and intimidating after all!" His grin could make him pass for a Cheshire cat and the calico hair-dye job he rocks does its part as well, but he's a wolf through-and-through just like everyone else in this room.

"Fuck off," Seth snarls, but there's no real heat behind it. Were he showing more of his canine tendencies, there would be more tells of his lack of genuine aggression. "Ain't this some kind of liability? We don't have any regular folks here for this exact reason."

Frank speaks up from his position in the group, which is something of a novelty, "Gotta side with the pup on this one. Not the part where Jay knows we're wolves, of course. That's just stupid." Of course this wannabe lone wolf is going to use one of his 30 words a month to make a dig at Seth, that asshole. Frank's square jaw is set as he continues, the tension accentuating the lines of his tanned face, "They're a meek little thing, don't really seem like much of a personality match for this place. And a human on top of that?" He shakes his head, "Seems like a bad call."

Beck rolls her eyes with a loud sigh. Resa, her wife and mate, isn't at this meeting and that tends to impact her level of tolerance for nonsense, "Right, 'cause we hired you lot for all of your sunny dispositions."

A low growl silences the bickering and all eyes turn to Ulrick, immediately deferring to their leader. "It may not make sense now, but Jay'll be good for this pack." He nods once to emphasize his point. "Give em time to settle in and you'll see what I mean." His words don't change any minds necessarily, but the discontent has settled. Each of them would trust Ulrick with their lives, so trusting him with his choice in desk clerks seems an easy enough ask, at least until they give a real reason to doubt them.

Seth scowls from his position suddenly, feeling that gravel at the base of his skull from his wolf chuckling. "Seems like the boss is cooking up something interesting. Can't wait to see what that sweet little thing shows us." There's a grin in his tone and Seth can feel the wolfish hunger clawing at his stomach like it's his own and he swipes the comb through his hair again to distract from that sensation. He's grateful that being a werewolf gives him access to this pack, but damn it would be nice if he didn't have to deal with this voice in his ear as the entry fee.

In the passing days Seth can't find that "settling in" that Ulrick promised Jay would be doing. Every time they're in hearing distance he can catch the way their heart pounds, particularly when one of the guys tries to strike up a conversation. Ok, particularly when Mason tries to strike up a conversation, Jack's even less social than he is and Seth is in no rush to try and make nice with the shivering little bird. Their big eyes and rushing pulse set off all kinds of predatory instincts in him, and Seth can feel resentment bubbling beneath the surface for how it makes his wolf side active, forcing him to keep himself in check. "S'not that sweetheart's fault really, it's not like they are being this cute on purpose," that voice snidely laughs against his skull. Ok, Seth's not going to pretend they aren't a pretty little thing. They've got a cool fashion sense that somehow makes their band t-shirt and denim jacket combo look unique, and when Jay chose whatever blue dye they put in their hair they picked one that highlighted the warm tones of their dark skin beautifully. Doesn't change the fact they're going to be a problem if they don't figure out how to calm the fuck down.

From his spot near the mouth of the garage, Seth can hear the slam of a car door and his ears perk up. He'd just finished wrapping up this oil change, so there's no harm in hovering a little closer to the front desk. He doesn't have a visual, but his wolfish senses can pick up on what's happening better than if a regular human had a front row seat. The sound of a bell indicates that someone is coming through the customer door, and the customer in question has a heavy gait. Jay's heartbeat picks up louder and faster than any of the panic that Seth had thought Jay was feeling in the past few days. He tenses, unsure if someone came in with a weapon or something to get the desk clerk riled up like that. "Pickup for Stumpf." The voice is deep and firm, reminiscent of some of the teachers Seth remembered having problems with way back when.

Seth hears Jay take a steadying breath before replying in a firm voice, "As I explained on the phone sir, we can't release your car until we get the full payment." Credit where credit's due, Jay's not folding under the anxiety they're clearly feeling in this moment, even if it seems an overreaction? Doesn't seem like this Stumpf guy's flashing heat or anything like that.

"And like I told you, I can't pay for it if I can't get to my fucking job." His voice pitches mockingly before dropping to a growl that's probably threatening by human standards. He escalates his next words to a yell, punctuating it with what sounds like a fist to the desk top "You trying to get me fired or some shit!?" Despite not having any kind of fondness for Jay, Seth can feel some hackles rising against his back. This guy's really going to come to Moonrise and try throwing his weight around like that? "Don't y'all have payment plans or something like that?"

"We don't." Jay's voice is steady in contrast to the pounding of their heart that Seth swears is going to deafen him.

There's a pause before Stumpf speaks again, "Those my keys hanging back there?"

Jay's pulse pauses in a new brand of panic and Seth decides to take this moment to turn the corner, making himself visible to... A guy. This Stumpf's not exactly a stick figure or anything, but even Mason's easily got more weight on him and Jay doesn't get this freaked out by him. Seth ignores the logical inconsistency of Jay's danger meter and focuses on the man in front of him, crossing his arms as he gets into position behind Jay in a show of solidarity. "You come behind this desk and we won't be the ones calling the cops." He tilts his head back in a lazy snarl, letting the silence fill in those gaps of what exactly that threat means and how unhinged Seth might be if it turned to a physical altercation. Sources suggest that the answer is pretty damn unhinged.

Now that they have reinforcements, Jay takes control of the conversation with the drum of their heartbeat as background rhythm, "We accept most forms of credit cards along with cash, though we don't take personal checks." Their voice has regained some of that professional chipperness, forced though it is. The customer grumbles something rude under his breath that Seth doesn't bother confronting before he turns heel and stomps off, probably to get back in the passenger seat of whoever gave him a ride.

Jay releases their breath in a heavy sigh and pivot to face Seth, looking up at him through their cat eye glasses with a grateful smile that's much softer than any look Seth's seen on them so far. They wear it really fucking well. "Thank you, Seth," they exclaim happily, lacking any self-consciousness about the unbridled energy they're showing now. They wear that well too. "It's embarrassing to admit, but I get really nervous around strange men and he was really starting to freak me out." Jay reaches up and wraps a bright blue coil of hair around their finger as they talk, their smile still beaming brightly despite the nervous gesture.

Oh. Oh. Seth's memory suddenly fills in gaps he wasn't aware of at the time, remembering how that hyper conscious tension that grated his nerves so roughly was nowhere to be found when Beck was the one in Jay's space. They weren't picking up on the fact they were surrounded by wolves, it was the fact I they were surrounded by men. It's so obvious in hindsight that it's embarrassing, which is surely the reason his own heartbeat is increasing, shooting heat directly to his face.

"I don't see how that's my problem," he snaps back at Jay's admission, taking a step backwards to put some distance between himself and the warmth of their body. "I can't come out here and hold your hand every time you get scared of some asshole raising his voice. This is a garage, that happens literally every day." He pointedly looks away from Jay, still feeling the intensity of their gaze on him. They're probably scared of him all over again. "You better grow a backbone and grow it quick if you want to stick around here, we're not your fucking bodyguards. Got it?"

Not wanting to see the face Jay is undoubtedly making, Seth makes a hasty retreat towards the garage proper, practically running headfirst into Mason as he rounds the corner out of sight and earshot of Jay. That bastard's got a shit-eating grin and Seth is not in the mood. "What?" Seth smacks Mason's shoulder as he passes the attempted bodycheck, knowing from experience that it won't be read as more than a sarcastic gesture.

"I didn't say anything," Mason replies in a sing-song voice that makes Seth's ears ring. "I didn't say anything, I was just thinking about it."

"I could care less," Seth retorts over his shoulder. That means he does care at least a little.

"I promise I wasn't going to make fun of you," Mason continues as though he didn't even hear Seth. Beck and Frank are at their work stations and Seth can catch some sideways smirks at the conversation they're overhearing. He's half-convinced that the only reason one of the older werewolves hasn't kicked Mason's ass by now is because it's entertaining when Seth is the one he's annoying. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he insists, acting like Seth doth protest too much despite the fact he didn't even dignify Mason's words with a response. "I think it's soooOOOooo sweet how you have a big fat crush on Jay!" Mason clasps his hands together in a mock display of a swooning audience.

"I have a crush on who?!" Seth practically bites at the air next to Mason's head as he turns quickly to glare missles at him. "Why would I have a thing for that little nerd?"

"Little nerd? What a cute pet name you have for them!" Mason fans himself dramatically and Seth is keenly aware that he's in a catch-22 where any insistence that he's not into Jay would be treated as evidence to the contrary. And saying that he does think Jay's cute?