EDITED ON: 5/1/23
Words: 4538
"Merry Christmas!" The band shouted as they exited the elevator, plus a "Happy Hanukkah" from Zoot. Now, where were they? Well, it all started when Miss Piggy made Uncle Deadly settle a deal to rent out a lounge area for a Christmas party/sleepover with some big company. The deal never went through and Uncle Deadly settled on the next best thing: renting out a penthouse for a few days. Almost everyone who wasn't traveling was attending and settling into their rooms, and in true Electric Mayhem fashion, the band was extremely late. Once they were inside and out of the crowded entranceway, the band admired the interior of the room. To their right was the living room area with a sofa and coffee table facing the TV hung on the wall. Left of them was the door to the kitchen and the stairs up towards the bedroom doors. The Swedish Chef could be heard cooking in the kitchen while most of the other Muppets were conversing with each other. Across from them was a balcony separated only by a few glass windows and a glass door. No lights illuminated the outside, creating almost a black void of the night.
"Hi-Ho, guys! Hey, it's great to see you all here. The bedrooms are upstairs, just take any empty room," Kermit greeted as he motioned to the stairs. All but one band member took a turn to greet the frog properly. Lips, the quietest band member, had his face practically buried in his phone with his thumb hovering over the digital keyboard pulled up on the screen. A wave of his hand was all the green dude had received as the trumpeter walked by. If anyone were to glance at the screen, they would see a string of text messages between him and another person. Yes, it was rude, but the three little dots were bouncing at the bottom left corner and he was anxious to see what the message was gonna be. He seemed stuck to the device even as the band arrived at their room, but Floyd pulled him out of his trance with a snap of his fingers.
"Lips, you've been stuck to that since we started the road trip. What's going on?" he asked, trying to see the screen. Lips reflexively dipped his phone away from the bassist's gaze and closed it with a click of a button. If anyone other than Piggy was gonna nosey in everyone's business, it was usually Floyd, Rizzo, or Pepe, and thank god the prawn and rat weren't around to peek. Truth be told, he'd been texting someone during the entire trip in hopes that they would be attending this menagerie of a party. That someone was Darrow, the tech crew member he met at Rowlf's Tavern. He had learned a lot about the new sound mixer over the past few months, and after learning about his discomfort around big crowds, half of Lips' hopes were up. On one hand, Rowlf may have lightly persuaded him to attend and socialize, but on the other hand, he would've wanted to stay home with some hot cocoa. And in true Lips fashion, he forgot to ask the band if he could stay behind for that reason.
"Just a friend, man," he mumbled, slipping his phone into his pocket. The band settled into the room as much as they could before going out to socialize with the others. Most of the time was spent talking to Muppets that hadn't been a part of their production in years and reminiscing on some backstage memories. Everyone ranging from Seymour to Mildred Huxtetter to Beard and even Zondra had decided to attend, even some who Lips didn't recognize. Being away from the Muppets for over ten years meant that one missed out on a lot of productions and new people that Kermit somehow wrangled in. Even being part of the Muppets now meant that new people were joining every month or so. During his thinking, Clifford had walked over and tapped his shoulder. The two hadn't spoken to each other since the Disney special, the first and only time they encountered one another.
"Lips! How's it been? Still play a mean trumpet?" Clifford asked, patting Lips' back. He responded with a shrug as his friend continued to talk. Good, he didn't feel like speaking at the moment, typical for a big event like this. This was to mainly avoid saying the wrong thing and have the least amount of attention towards him for saying something off. Since his phone was in his pocket, he didn't hear it buzzing with unread messages from Darrow. It didn't matter until later, when the trumpeter finally had time to himself and saw all of the three messages from Darrow, and the fourth being sent as he saw them. Getting caught up on the subject of music and art can really make time fly.
D: Hey, Lips
D: Party's at the big building with the red blinking light, right?
D: Lips?
7:08 PM
D: Be there in a second
L: Yup, and see ya then!
D: Here
L: Wait, what?
As if on cue, something large landed on the balcony outside just as Lips sent his message. The sound caused Walter to shriek and all eyes turned to see two white orbs looking inside the building. Some of the lights could faintly make out the shadow of someone crouching on the balcony's railing with big feathery wings, horns protruding from their head, and a long tail that curled up around their feet. Whoever landed jumped off the railing and reached for the glass door, jiggling the handle for a moment. No one could see many of their other features since the lights outside were turned off and the dim lighting inside lit up very little of the balcony in general. Lips looked around at the others, finding it strange to see Rowlf smiling and then walking to the locked door. Rowlf turned around to the others once his paw had turned the lock.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, and Whatevers, I'm sure you are wondering who just dropped in, literally," he began, "well, most haven't met the new audio mixer and they've been working with us for a few months now. I figured that a big party like this would be the perfect opportunity to let him meet everyone! Without further ado, meet the man behind the sound booth: Darrow!" The door was then pushed open, causing the cold winter air to rush into the warmth of the living room. One foot revealed itself in the light, then a leg, then the man himself, the demonic features the silhouette had shown before were pulled back into the shadow of the night. Everyone let out a breath they didn't know they were holding, perhaps they were relieved that Darrow was a normal person and not whatever the shadows had made them believe. He was wearing a large brown coat over his clothes, unseen at the moment, and a scarf with purple stripes was wrapped around his neck. As he walked through the crowd, he spotted Lips and flashed him a quick smile. Why did his heart skip a beat at that? Might need to get a doctor to look at that.
"That's it? I thought it would be something special for moi from Kermie," Miss Piggy interjected, stepping in front of Darrow's path. Darrow's usual glare settled on his face as Piggy's eyes narrowed, the tension in the room rising. It wasn't until he tilted his head to the right that Miss Piggy surprisingly backed off, scoffing as she brushed past the shorter man. They would settle their attitudes later when the time felt right and when Miss Piggy had some pent-up anger she needed to get out. For now, Lips could see the pig walking to the front of the group with an almost evil grin as Darrow disappears to the coat closet, irritation still radiating from him. Of course she had something up her sleeve, they could never have a normal Christmas party for once in their careers. Hell, they would never have a normal party period. Kermit covered his face with a flipper as the diva began to talk.
"Now for the real reason we're here: 7 minutes in Heaven! Everyone knows the rules and the new kid can learn on the way. Deadly, get the bowls ready," she announced, eliciting a groan from the group. Lips threw his head back in annoyance and whined quietly to himself. She's most definitely rigged the game just to see some drama happen. The last time this happened, he and Floyd were thrown into a walk-in closet and had a vent-moment about little things that annoyed them. While it was nice to get out those feelings, they hadn't done anything similar since then as work keeps them busy for days on end. Uncle Deadly materialized next to the pig with Gloria the penguin situated in the baby carrier on his chest. A hand was felt on his arm and Lips looked to his side, finding Darrow standing next to him in an oversized t-shirt, fuzzy pants, and his hair out of its usual bun.
"What are we doing?"
"A game. How'd you get here?"
"I have my ways. What kind of game?" he asked in a whisper as two bowls with slips of folded paper were brought up to Miss Piggy's hands. Both dove into the piles, searching around for a while before pulling out two individual slips. A grin flashes on her lips as she points to both Lew Zealand and Baskerville Hound. The Muppets were then pushed into the closet and the Swedish Chef started a timer for 7 minutes. Realization flashed over Darrow's face as his hands grab the end of his shirt and closes his fist around the fabric, uneasiness replacing the quick understanding. Lips laid his hand on the shorter's tense shoulder, rubbing his thumb on the edge of the bone to help calm his friend. That obviously wasn't working, and with some quick thinking, the trumpeter led his friend to the kitchen where the smell of food waved through the air. No one was wishing to step into the room with the possibility of flying utensils aimed anywhere and Lips could take a hit or two.
The Swedish Chef had just pulled out some of his famous Swedish meatballs from the oven and was waiting for them to dry when the two Muppets walked in. Excited, he grabs some of the other little snacks he had made and brings the plate to them. Darrow grabs a few crackers, a small slice of salami, and a small slice of cheese from the plate, stacking the treats together in a cheese, meat and cracker sandwich. The taller one watched him pop the snack in his mouth, happy to see him more relaxed for now. Both decided to temporarily camp out in the kitchen until the game would inevitably be finished, taking samples of the Chef's food in between some small talk. Most of the game had progressed outside of the kitchen doors as time slipped through their fingers and the thought had long gone left their minds. Currently, Darrow was unable to control his laughter at a story Lips was recalling, a toothy smile stretched on his lips.
"Dude, you can't be serious!"
"I am! Ran right back into the house with his tail between his legs! Funniest thing I've ever seen!" Lips finished between laughs. "Never seen him so scared!" The two were practically a barrel of giggles in their little corner, joy emanating like a star atop a Christmas tree. It was cut short when Rowlf stepped in, spotting the two with a concerned look and waving them to him. Darrow walked to the dog while calming his chuckles with a few light sighs, Lips taking a few slow breaths at his spot. A brown paw motioned for the trumpeter to walk over as well, glancing back into the living room for a beat after a noise sounds from behind him. Once he was standing behind Darrow, leaning over the shorter one slightly, Rowlf spoke in a hushed voice.
"Piggy's peeved that you guys are disrupting the game. Something about others not hearing the names? I already tried telling her that you're having your own fun and she won't have it. Could you guys be just a bit quieter please? That's all I ask for," he explained, his ears pinned down to his head. Lips' face was in a dark green blush and embarrassment overtook him. If all it took was for them to quiet down, then that was fine with him and something easy they could do. Hopefully nobody would stare at them later, even if that possibility was slim with the sleeping situations. They both nodded and started walking away from the door before a certain voice rang out over everyone else. Had nothing been said, the next few moments wouldn't happen.
"Rowlf, stop, I have a better idea! Let's put them in the closet together," Miss Piggy announced, making them freeze. It was inevitable from the start that they would've been pulled into the game one way or another, but neither could've imagined that they would be participating at the same time. Just the thought of being in that little room with very little privacy from others made the moment even worse, especially since it was with Darrow. Many of the Muppets watched as Uncle Deadly carefully guided them to the closet, a clawed hand settled on each of their backs. Gloria was waddling at his feet, flapping their wings and trying to grab onto the tip of Deadly's scaly tail with their beak.
"Have fun, but not too much fun, there are kids here, we're still playing after you two, blah blah blah. Into the closet you go," he recited with annoyance. Darrow was the first to be not-so-lightly shoved into the small space, almost banging his head into the wall and grumbling under his breath about the strength of the push. The phantom held Lips back for a beat, green eyes glancing from him to the Muppet standing a few feet away from them. If the blush on the fluffy-haired Muppet wasn't present before, it was now. A grin beholds his snout as he whispered into the trumpeter's ear, quiet enough for only him to hear.
"Between you and me, that man's a keeper. Don't mess this up".
"What does that- AH!" In a flash, Lips was shoved into the closet and the door was slammed behind him. Little clicks could be heard nearby, presumably the timer they were using being set for the seven minutes. The inside was pitch black with the only light poking out from the bottom of the door and the outline of Darrow could be made out against the wall. His hair fell over his face while his head was tilted to the floor, arms crossed over his chest and shoulders tensed up. Squinted eyes stared in remorse since it was clear the other didn't want to be in this situation. With some smart thinking, he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, setting it down in the middle of the dark floor. All four walls were suddenly illuminated in white, including Darrow who was covering his eyes with his arm.
"That's bright..."
"Sorry". Lips moved the phone to the side, causing the shadows on their faces to shift to the side. When Darrow pulled his arm away, his gray eye reflected the light when he looked at the phone and he sighs. He slid against the wall to the floor, his knees pulled to their chest by their arms and his forehead set down on the lower arms. The trumpeter maneuvered around him and took a seat next to Darrow, looking at him worriedly. Nothing was said between them while the chatter from outside the door muffled through the cracks. After a minute had passed, the sound technician shifted next to him and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to Lips, staring at the ground when he took it. Writing on the outside spelled out Darrow's name in a cursive penmanship he didn't recognize.
"I didn't even wanna come here. I only attended because you invited me via a letter you wrote. I know you mean well, but I... I don't know. Parties aren't my thing, but you sent me the note and I thought it would be fun. When I texted you today, I figured you were playing dumb to exceed my expectations or something," he explained, scratching his arm for a bit. The note was unfolded as Lips' confusion grew, showing a long letter in the same handwriting and using some vocabulary that Lips didn't understand. Most of the note was talking about the party itself and how fun it would be if Darrow attended, ending off with a definitely forged signature at the bottom. Only two Muppets could copy signatures like a side job, and Pepe was already out of the question. Now what Uncle Deadly had said before made sense.
"I didn't write this".
"What?"
"Not my writing. Someone else wrote it," Lips stated, "but even if it wasn't prompted by a note, I'm kinda happy you came here. Clifford can be a chatterbox sometimes, Rizzo might try to steal my wallet, and the band's gonna be separated until the end of the night to sleep. With you, I feel like I can just be me, I guess, y'know?" Darrow took back the note and looked at Lips as blush lightly dusted his cheeks, locking eye contact in the process. He's the first to look away from the taller Muppet, quick to crumble up the letter into a ball and throw it in a random corner. The paper hit the wall and rolls back to the middle, tapping his foot as it crinkles. Lips turned his head away after, feeling his breath hitch in his throat. Silence settled in the air for a moment, then Darrow grabbed Lips' hand and squeezed it gently.
"I think I like you, and I have for a while now. I- Is it weird that I realized it from watching you on the stage? I feel like that's weird. 'Cause all I was doing was watching you from a distance and realized "hey, I really like him" and it just kept growing and growing and... Yeah". The trumpeter looked at Darrow in surprise, feeling his heartbeat quicken at the confession. Was that what he was feeling? Love? Looking over the last few months, it did make sense. Every time he saw him, his heart started speeding up and his palms had got sweaty all of a sudden and- Oh my god, it was as clear as glass. Why the band didn't say anything was a mystery on its own. And if this was confession time in the closet, then he should take his turn before there are any interruptions. Besides, who knows how long they've been in there up to then?
"I-I've liked ya for a while too. Love at first sight is still a thing, right? I think I had that happen to me that first time we met. You make me... happy. The happiest I've been in a while. Every time I go into work, I'm thinking about talking to you at the sound booth and joking around, and telling stories. You really do make me happy, man," he replied, ending with a deep sigh. Darrow laid his head on Lips' shoulder and nuzzled his cheek against the fabric of his shirt, both focusing their gazes to the opposite wall. A minute, perhaps two, passed with the two sitting in that position, lost in their own thoughts and feelings. Neither hear the muffled footsteps approaching the door, nor the shadow of a Muppets slippers under the door. Too comfortable in the silence they had created that nothing else mattered.
"So what now?" Lips asked, slightly turning his head to the shorter one's head.
"Not sure. Are we together?"
"Not sure..." The answer didn't get resolved because the door was unexpectedly swung open, flooding the area with yellow-tinted light. In the middle of the doorway was the outline of Uncle Deadly, his tail swishing to and fro behind him. Lips grabbed his phone to turn off the flashlight and Darrow took the moment to crack the joints in his neck, five pops sounding from it. Once both had gotten themselves together, the phantom led them out of the closet. Miss Piggy had switched her attention from the game to the TV program that someone had put on, presumably Dr. Teeth. Knowing his passion for the holiday, he may have done it to lighten the mood or to pass time waiting. And to keep the kids from wondering how the game worked. Either way, he had stopped the game from continuing and Lips was thankful for that.
"We almost forgot you two in there. It's been eight minutes at most," Uncle Deadly whispered before walking away. Lips noded and quickly noticed that he's left alone. He figured that Darrow must've walked back to the kitchen, heading over to prove the thought right. Before he even touched the door, someone had opened the balcony door dressed in a large brown coat and a purple striped scarf. What was clearly Darrow's silhouette had jumped to the balcony railing and extended the large black wings, seemingly appearing out of nowhere from his back. He'd have to ask about that whole situation later. The silhouette then flew upward to the roof, a flurry of snow floating into the air at their exit. No one else paid any mind to it, giving Lips the opportunity to slip out and follow Darrow. Quick to grab his coat and gloves, the fluffy-haired Muppet ran to the balcony, hoping for a way to get to the top of the building.
Snow flurries were gliding from the darkened sky above, an effect of the temperature dropping to an unreasonable amount. On the balcony, Lips turned on the outside lights and found the area covered in a layer of snow. Scattered around were lounge chairs, a giant canopy on the side, and a big rectangular pool in the middle with a pool covering. To the left of the canopy was a set of stairs, presumably to the roof. Bingo. Quiet footfalls crack into the snow as they walked up the metal steps. On the roof was a fenced in tennis court and an area for grilling, the grills individually covered with tarps. To the side of the grills was Darrow, sitting on the edge and kicking his legs. Most of the snow was pushed out of the way for a small clearing to sit in. Lips tentatively walked over and sat next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder to alert him of his presence. Darrow had earbuds in his ears, connected to his phone and playing The King and Queen of Gasoline from a YouTube video. He took them out when Lips sat next to him and turned his head to the trumpeter.
"Cold night, huh?"
"Mm".
"Nice view though". A beat of silence, the wind whistling past their ears and pushing hair both in and out of their faces. Car horns and sirens below could barely be heard at that height with the air above them cutting from the occasional airplane. Shivers racked the shorter Muppets body, even with the giant coat and scarf wrapped around them. Gloveless hands were what Lips' attention was brought to, the fingers curling from the muscles tightening with the cold. It wasn't long until Darrow's face was suddenly blooming with blush and Lips was warming up his hands with his. The gloves were a nice cotton material with a jagged stripe design of green and purple stretched on the top. Clouds of breaths intermingled in the air between them while Darrow broke the silence with a huff and squeezed his hands.
"Look," he started, "that game may have been stupid and immature, but what we were talking about was the honest truth. And the truth now is that I'd like us to be something. I just want to make sure you'd be fine with it". Neither knew what to do, but just sitting there was enough. Were they boyfriends? Partners? Lovers? Other names for romantic couples? It didn't really matter. They knew they were something, with or without a label. Almost like Floyd and Janice's relationship. Speaking of Floyd, the bassist had lost a vote to go and search for the two on the roof. He was also shaking from the cold, his arms crossed over his chest as his teeth chattering in his mouth. If his mustache were damp, the hairs would've frozen into small icicles.
"G-Guys! Kermit needs- God, it's freezing! Kermit needs everyone to stay inside for whatever reason. Think it's something about, uh, frostbite or whatnot. And everyone went to bed so g'night," he explained before hurrying back inside. Lips was the first to stand up, brushing off the snowflakes that had gathered on his coat and in his hair. Darrow followed quickly behind, ignoring the flurries that began to blend into his gray hairs. It took no time to return inside as the two find the once busy living room to be calm and quiet, the only time the area will be like this for their stay. They removed their winter gear and began to head to bed. Well, Lips started heading to bed while Darrow laid on the sofa, grabbing a nearby blanket and draping it over himself. Right, he was the last person to get here and it was an unexpected drop in. All of the rooms looked taken the last time Lips had checked and rooming with Rowlf would've been awkward. He felt sorry for him and detoured his route to the sofa.
"Mind if I stay with ya for a bit?" he quietly asked, sitting near Darrow's feet. A shrug was given as an answer as the shorter Muppet sat up. Both shifted to a more comfortable position with Lips laying on his back and Darrow lying on top of him. The blanket was draped over both and yawns escaped their lips. It was clear that Darrow was exhausted beyond comprehension, the cause most definitely was from the initial flight to the penthouse. Answers to those questions will have to be told in the morning or later in their relationship. For now, it was just them being too tired to get to a proper bed and claiming the couch as their temporary one. Darrow's head was lying on the trumpeter's chest, quietly talking to Lips before the sandman paid him a visit.
"I love you". Lips couldn't comprehend that he had just muttered the three special words, but nonetheless replied in the same sleepy state. He was trying hard to stay awake for a moment longer to admire his new partner resting, and he was losing to his drowsiness.
"I love you too".