You shake your head and force yourself to refocus on the task Secondo gave you. There's just an hour left in the work day, you'll make it through without thinking about Cirrus again...
Satan, Cirrus.
"Maybe you should ask her out?" Secondo suggests from across the desk.
"Did I ask?" you snap. You take a breath. "Sorry, that came out wrong."
Secondo lets out an amused chuckle. "Listen, I'm not really one with...rizz? Is that what it's called now?"
"Mh-hm," you purse your lips to avoid laughing.
"I know you're going to punch me in the face for saying this, but Terzo could be of some help here," Secondo quietly suggests.
You glare at the papa.
"No."
"I know you hate him, but can't you let bygones be bygones if you get a girlfriend out of it?"
"Who's to say I will get a girlfriend out of it, Secondo?"
"Because the last time he screwed you over, you got me out of it and I'm quite a catch," Secondo jokes.
"You're good to work for but I don't need a dent in my pride as much as I need a girlfriend," you scoff and lean back in your chair.
"Y/n, I love you like you're my own spawn, and I love how strong-willed you are, but you've been into Cirrus for what, two months now? Surely you won't wait until someone else snatches her up, right?"
You bite the inside of your lip and look away from the Papa as your tail swats in discomfort, not willing to show him how much the idea of Cirrus being with someone else hurts you.
"Fine," you exhale and push yourself off the chair and walk out of the room.
"Wait--" Secondo contests.
"I'll work overtime tomorrow," you look over your shoulder before closing Secondo's office door.
Out in the empty hallway, you scan the office doors to find the specific brass plaque on the door you resent. Even as you come close to it, memories of Terzo refusing you jobs and promotions flood through your head. He consistently decided against you getting to work on tour with the band ghouls and ghoulettes, preventing you from getting to know Cirrus better.
You take a deep breath and unclench the fists you didn't know had formed at your sides, and knock on the mahogany door.
"Come in," an Italian accent chimes from inside the office.
You push the door open and take a hesitant step into Papa Emeritus III's office. It reeks of his favorite incense, which you hate to admit is a heavenly scent. Everything about the office is nice, and you hate it. It represents everything you weren't able to receive despite years of devotion to the Ministry.
"Ah, Y/n. What brings you here?" Terzo asks as you approach his desk, trying to lighten your glare.
"I need help," you say flatly.
"Never thought I'd see the day," the Papa grins and leans back in his chair. "How did I get the pleasure of helping you?"
"Because Secondo is useless and I'm already in debt to Dewdrop," you cross your arms. The second one is a lie, but you want to seem more desperate.
"Aren't we all?"
"Useless or in debt to Dewdrop?" you raise an eyebrow, the spade of your tail flicking the floor.
"How about both?" Emeritus III shrugs. "What can I do for you?"
You pause, realizing how vulnerable you're going to have to be with this man.
"I...have feelings for Cirrus," you tilt your head to the side. "And I don't know what to do. I figured you'd be of some assistance."
"Ooh! Of course I could help with that!" the papa smiles. "Come, sit. We can discuss details."
It takes you a few seconds to decide it's okay to sit down.
"Come on, I don't bite. I'll help you get bit by someone else," Terzo winks.
You're relieved your helmet hides your blush.
"Do you want to do something big and ornate or something simple?"
"Something simple. I don't want this to be a big event, I just want to let her know about my feelings," you answer.
"Okay, so a dinner date or something like that?"
"No, not necessarily a date. I just want to let her know that I'm into her."
"What if she reciprocates and asks when the date is?"
"How likely is that to happen?" you cock your head to the side.
"I just know that you like to be prepared."
"Hm. Surprisingly astute," you nod.
"I know," Terzo smiles proudly. "Cirrus loves the gardens and her favorite area is that old pavilion with the mosaic on the ceiling."
"The overgrown one by the pear trees?" you ask. Come to think of it, you have seen her there a few times.
"That's it. She also loves tea, charcuterie boards, crocheting, keytar accessories, dark chocolate, uh, The Doors, that type of music," Terzo lists as you sit at the edge of your seat, listening intentionally and beginning to plan out a nice evening with Cirrus.
"She's also definitely into you, by the way," the Papa adds.
"What?" your back straightens and your tail swishes about.
"Yeah."
"Uhh...citation needed," you force out as your brain glitches. Cirrus...into you? It seems a bit impossible.
"Copia told me she keeps messing up practice when she sees you walking outside. She gets flustered as hell."
Your whole body pauses as a deep blush spreads across your face. "Oh..."
"I've seen it before. It's actually really sweet," Terzo gives you a genuine smile. "She'll pause and look at you and kind of keep playing the keytar while she stares and then she just stops playing altogether. When she's feeling really emo, she'll lean her head against the window."
Your heart beats faster hearing all of this. It's hard to believe, but what if it's true? Papa III wouldn't bullshit you, right?
"I know you don't believe me, but talk to Copia. He'll tell you all about it," the Papa continues.
"Ah," you nod, slowly rising from the chair. "Thank you, sir."
You stalk out of the office, overwhelmed with everything Terzo just told you. Cirrus, the sweetest, most loving, coolest, and most iconic woman you've ever met, is into you. You replay the conversation, reliving every moment of discomfort. Subconsciously, you begin to walk toward the gardens, pushing doors open until you reach the fresh air. The pavilion seems like a reasonable place to check, right? You follow the path through a thick line of trees that leads into open air fruit gardens with scattered pavilions. Over in the far corner by a cluster of pear trees, you see the pavilion of interest. It's hard to see if anyone is at the table in there, so you begin the trek across the garden.
"Y/n?" you hear a familiar voice call.
"Cirrus?" you respond, picking up your pace over to her. "Cirrus, I have something to tell you!"
"What's going on?" Cirrus asks as you sit adjacent to her at the table.
Satanas, her voice is so gentle.
"I...I have feelings for you, Cirrus," you blurt out.
The ghoulette is still and speechless, but her eyes never veer from you.
"I have feelings for you too," she hums quietly. She's a lot shyer than she usually is, and it's adorable.
"Do you want to go on a date with me?" you offer with a newfound confidence.
"I'd love to!" Cirrus nods.
In a tree nearby, Terzo and Copia share a high five.
...
first ghoulette one shot!
how'd ya like it?