Self-Insert Stories

Love at First Sight

"Sorry..." he mumbled and turned his attention to his cup of water. Closing his eyes, Lips could see all the details of their face as clear as day. Tan skin, a round brown nose, and their right eye as black as the night. The other was a glossy gray with a scar over it, as well as their right cheek. Under the half-lidded eyes were bags, probably from the lack of sleep or overworking. He also saw that the left ear, as pointed as the right, had a sharp notch that curved downwards like a tooth. They would've looked intimidating if Lips hadn't seen them drawing moments before. Rowlf's voice brought him out of his thoughts again, the canine standing across from him and waiting for an answer.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you".

"I asked if you've met Darrow before. He started working with you guys a week ago as a sound designer thanks to the dog standing in front of you. You've always been the observant one". Rowlf motioned to the person Lips was just thinking about. As if to make the situation more awkward, Darrow turned his body to the Muppets with a gaze of a thousand daggers. All the cuteness he saw before had transformed into annoyance. Lips gulped and waved at him with a smile, noticing the sketchbook closed. A quick shake of his head informed Rowlf all he needed to know, and instead of nodding back, he waved the man over to their spot. Darrow jumped from his barstool and walked directly to the trumpeter, holding out his hand to shake. He was shorter than Lips was, around 5'3 feet tall compared to his height of 6'3.

"Nice to meet you, Darryl-"

"It's Darrow," he corrects with a mumble.

"Sorry. Nice to meet you, Darrow," Lips greeted, firmly grasping the outstretched hand. "Sorry for watching you. You're just an amazing artist and I would love to see some more of it when we work together". The shorter man's face contorted in disgust and he pulled his hand away, wiping the palm on his purple shirt. He must've felt the nervous sweat from Lips' palm. Not a great formal introduction for him, especially since the stare was starting to burrow holes in his head. Surely Darrow wasn't like this all the time, right? The way Rowlf talked about him sounded like he was the nicest person one could ever meet. If that were true, who was standing in front of him?

"I'm surprised that you haven't talked before. He said he's been doing the sound check for the band each rehearsal. He talks about it all the time". Rowlf slipped the rag under the counter as Lips mouthed a small "Oh" at the revelation. He originally figured that Scooter was still in that backstage position since the ending of the Up Late With Miss Piggy show. Kermit had assigned the poor Muppet so many jobs, he could barely keep up with all of them. Dispensing them to others was a smart move for Scooter's mental health and Kermit's stress. It did make sense when the band was doing a sound check and Scooter stood a few feet away.

"It's not all the time. Just occasionally here and there," Darrow mumbled, shoving his hands in his pants pocket.

"How come I haven't seen you around?" A sigh escaped the shorter ones lips before answering.

"Because no one really pays attention to the people behind the scenes. It's always about the actors, performers, and musicians. Well, do they know what length of screws to put in a platform that's eight feet above the ground so it stays standing? Of course not! Why would they?" Darrow vented, sharp and prominent canines revealed themselves to Lips. A strange physical trait that would be too prying if he were to try and ask in the current conversation. Darrow's face scrunched into a snarl before relaxing, the most normal expression Lips had seen so far. The cuteness he had seen a few minutes ago returned, and wow, those fangs are big.

"I also don't really like talking to others. Saying the wrong things and stuff. Being backstage is where I belong anyway". He kicked the ground with a huff and earned a quick glare from Rowlf for scuffing the floor. Lips glanced at the dog when he left to serve another customer, leaving the two alone to try and converse with one another. Chatter mixed with the crackling music of a stereo filled the silence between them as some chuckles had echoed through the Muppets from a joke told by Rizzo. It bounced off the building's walls in an orchestra of amusement. Had either of them heard the rat, they would've laughed along with the others, but nothing was said.

Remembering that he didn't actually introduce himself, Lips perks up. "Sorry, I didn't say my name. I'm Lips, I-"

"Play the trumpet, I know. The sound booth gives me a good view of the stage. You're really good at it". Darrow rubbed his neck as his gaze fell to the floor.

"Thanks. Do you play anything?"

"I play a bit of violin and bass guitar in my spare time".

"Nice. You should talk to Floyd, our bassist. He plays both somewhat well and you guys can jam together". Lips absentmindedly swirled the glass of water with his hand, creating a thin ring of condensation on the counter.

"I'll keep that in mind. He seems like a character".

Lips chuckles. "He is. Always pissing off the pig for a good laugh only to get karate chopped in the ribs. Or the stomach. It's honestly a surprise that he hasn't been sent to the hospital". Darrow sighed and shook his head at the thought. Just this past week, Floyd had made a comment about the star's outfit and how it was ugly. Needless to say, they need another wall fixed, again.

"I saw that he takes care of Animal and got two bruised ribs this morning. Animal was chanting about rugby or something. The next thing I knew, Floyd was lying face first on the floor and your drummer was eating one of his cymbals," Darrow reminisced. Another chuckle erupted from Lips at the memory before he saw Dr. Teeth making his way to him. Both quickly focused on the band leader while he spoke quietly about needing to get the others home soon. They needed to get sleep so they could do the worst thing known to musicians: an early practice. Lips nodded at the leader's comment before the Good Doctor sauntered back to the group. It would be a while until they would leave since it takes about five minutes to wrangle Animal into the van.

"I guess that means we're leaving soon. It was nice meeting you". Darrow's eyes lit up for a moment and he held up his pointer finger at Lips, striding back to his sketchbook. The sound of paper tearing and pencil scribbling could be faintly heard before the shorter man returned, a torn folded piece of paper settled between his left pointer and middle fingers held out to the trumpeter. While taking items from strangers isn't the smartest idea, Darrow wasn't exactly a stranger after tonight. A reason such as that was why Lips accepted the item and unfolded it, his curiosity getting the better of him. Numbers with dashes between three groups were written inside as well as Darrow's name at the top.

"That's my number. In case you or the band need some sound work done in the future. Musicians need sound to be musicians, right?" He played with his hands and stared at the ground again. Lips was only able to nod right as Dr. Teeth called him at the entrance, the cold night air harshly flooding the warmth of the building. He looked to his bandmate and back to Darrow, waving at him with a small smile. Surprisingly, he received a smile back before walking out the door, and seeing it was like finding presents under the tree on Christmas day . It made him smile even more as the band lightly trudged back to the van, putting a bit of pep in his step. As everyone filed into the vehicle, Animal being literally dragged into the trunk, Dr. Teeth pulled Lips to the side. Zoot was hanging around his shoulders, dead asleep and snoring at an impressive loud level.

"Wanna call shotgun tonight? Having our sleepy comrade at the front may not be the best idea and I need an extra set of eyes for the road," he asked. Lips glanced to the front seat and shrugged, climbing in and adjusting to the new view in front of him. The good doctor buckled Zoot in the back seats and took his seat behind the wheel, starting the van shortly after. Though Lips had a much clearer view of the couple now cuddling behind him, it didn't seem to bother him as much as before. Maybe it was the giddy feeling from seeing Darrow smiling back at him with genuine happiness, or it was the lack of alcohol in his system. Whatever it was, he liked it.

"So, who was that man you were talking to? He must've been astronomical because I haven't seen you smile like that before," Dr. Teeth asked, pulling the van onto the almost empty road. Street lights briefly illuminated the inside as they rode, giving one a quick view of the leader's face.

"New person working on sound". He hummed in response, taking a right turn.

"Interesting. Are you getting to know them well?" Lips nodded, taking out the folded paper and carefully tracing the torn edge with his thumb.

"Yeah, you could say that".