Chapter Text
An antenna (plural: antennae) is one of a pair of appendages used for sensing in arthropods. Antennae are sometimes referred to as feelers.
There wasn’t a single ray of sun in the sky today. Dorado frowned, having to shake off raindrops at the shaded entrance of the restaurant away from their body before folding their umbrella in and stuffing it in a plastic bag. ‘So much for a beautiful day,’ they thought while they walked through the doors. A blast of cool air did not help after walking in the shivering rain for several blocks (so much for public transportation), but Dorado mustered up the courage and gathered themself to ask the hostess about a reservation.
A blind date after work, how cute! Dorado definitely was excited despite the weather conditions. The restaurant was dim and packed full to the brim. The smell wafting in the air could make a well-fed man hungry again. It certainly made Dorado’s mouth water and they gulped while they waited for the hostess to pull up the reservation details on their system. Dorado quietly thanked Betty, their friend who helped setting this up, in their head. They remember sitting in the same cafe they had their kikis at, maybe two months ago, and furiously staring at the digital queue for thirty minutes straight before securing a table. This shit was no joke.
“Follow me!” the hostess chirped and eagerly led Dorado through the crowd. One would think it was Valentine’s Day the way most tables were occupied by couples. Some kids decided to run into Dorado’s ankles before their parents stopped them and apologized profusely to Dorado. With a smile, Dorado went back to stepping around and scanned the place while clutching their purse and umbrella bag tighter.
Then Dorado’s eyes stopped on one person sitting all by themself. They had only a glass of water on the table in front of them and a menu open with one hand. With the other, they leaned their chin against the palm and looked absolutely indifferent to the choices presented in front of them. The tablecloth moved when they adjusted their leg, and Dorado couldn’t help but admire how clean-cut their outfit was; Navy felt jacket that seemed to crease only at the joints paired with residual raindrops beaded at the shoulders (so they must’ve just sat down recently, too), even sharper dress pants that stopped at the ankles. The only thing messy was the inconsistent spikes of hair on their head, and even that was wilted from the rain– They drooped in front of their face, some slightly curling clockwise.
Dorado started to quietly panic when the hostess led them closer to that person's table, giving him a better look at the figure. They didn’t even register the fact that they were standing right next to the empty seat in front of the mystery date. They froze momentarily, staring at the person still looking at the menu and feeling like they should run out and find Betty to go strangle her.
“Enjoy!” The hostess snapped Dorado out of their thoughts and gave them a polite smile before walking away, leaving Dorado horrified and alone. Dorado’s heartbeat pounded rapidly in their ears when they saw the person look up from their menu with a single wide eye and confirmed their suspicions.
Betty set Dorado up with their next-door neighbor.
“Daemon!” Dorado swallowed a bit of their anxiety and smiled. The crinkle of the umbrella bag was loud when Dorado clenched the plastic into their fist. “Is this seat taken?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Daemon said. Their eye blinked and narrowed slightly, still staring up at Dorado with more curiosity than shock now.
After a small period of awkward silence and a mini staring contest, Dorado cleared their throat and decided to set their bags down under their seat before they smoothed the underside of their skirt to sit down at the table. They nearly sat straight up before they remembered something and snatched their purse.
“I, uh, didn’t know who I was meeting today,” Dorado said, fingers curling around a small trinket wrapped in gift paper, “but I guess this is yours now!”
The ball of paper was passed to Daemon, who set the menu down on the table and held out her hand before it dropped in her palm. Slowly, Daemon took the paper apart and the two watched the paper unfurl in Daemon’s hands, revealing a small, white moth encased in a rounded glass pebble. Dorado couldn’t tell if the corner of Daemon’s lips twitched upwards or if they were hallucinating.
“A moth,” Daemon’s voice softened and held it to the closest source of light. She seemed to admire it the way she shifted the angle of the pebble. “Is this a paperweight?”
Dorado simply nodded and folded their hands on the table, ignoring the sweat beading at their neck and their purse sliding down from their lap and back onto the floor with a muted thunk. “Do you like it?”
The smile on Daemon’s face was more apparent now. “It’s nice. Thanks.” Daemon set the paperweight down in the middle of the table and looked down at it. Dorado couldn’t help but twiddle their thumbs and mess around with their hair, combing it with their fingers before setting it behind their shoulders.
“You’re welcome!” Dorado’s voice cracked. Their nerves were absolutely shooting down their cool factor. Before they could go and embarrass themself any further, Daemon perked up slightly and bent down to reach under the tablecloth.
“I also have something for you,” Daemon grunted when he sat back up, “here.” In Daemon’s hands crinkled a rather large bouquet of roses. She held it out for Dorado to take, who reached out for it and felt themself heat up when they brushed their fingers against the back of Daemon's hands.
“Thank you.” Dorado took the bouquet and held it close to their chest. The roses were fragrant against their nose. Before Dorado could open their mouth and speak again, their waiter seemed to pop up out of nowhere and jumpscared the couple.
“Good evening,” he politely greeted them, “thank you for being so patient. Are we ready to order?”
The two looked at each other for a brief moment and then looked back at the waiter.
“No.”
They both said, deadpan, and the waiter nodded his head knowingly. “I’ll give you a few more minutes.” He sauntered past a couple walking past him with their hands tied together, blocking his way for a moment. The view made Daemon snicker and she turned back to look at Dorado.
“You’re taking too long.”
“Me?” Dorado pointed at themself with the roses when they turned back to Daemon. “Me? I just got here!”
“Mhm. And I’ve been waiting here for an hour,” Daemon shot their eyebrow up with an unamused look.
“The rain started like, thirty minutes ago. Look at you, you still got rain on your shoulders, dude.”
When Daemon shrugged, some of the raindrops slid down the felt of his jacket. “Felt like an hour.”
Dorado set their flowers down on the carpet and took the menu in their hands. There was a moment of silence as they skimmed over tonight’s entrees: High-end pastas and medium-rare steaks. Dishes that were buttered and herbed with precious care. Dorado kept glancing at Daemon through their lashes and past the top of the menu. Her eye barely broke eye contact with Dorado’s, only doing so when she blinked. This was normal.
“So… You know Betty, too?” Dorado asked after folding their menu.
“Yes.” Daemon said without hesitation before sipping their water.
“She didn’t tell you I was showing up, right?”
“No, she told me.”
“What???” Dorado felt their hands grip their skirt. “She did? So, you, uh…”
“I mean. Sure, why not?” Daemon sighed. “I’ve been cooped up, putting boxes in bigger boxes, putting in bigger boxes. I hardly talk to other people. And I wanted to change that, so.” That ‘so’ was final, punctuated with a quiet smile.
Dorado gripped the thick fabric of their skirt into a tighter bundle, incorporating the tablecloth a little and made the glass of water and menus shift towards them.
“You’re… Interested, then?” Dorado gulped again.
Daemon seemed puzzled. “Yes. She didn’t tell you?”
“No???” Dorado felt like crying a little.
“That’s weird. She said you wanted to be friends with me,” Daemon chuckled nervously, “and I thought it’s a good idea. I like you.”
The last three words shot through Dorado’s head and echoed in their brain. A smile slowly spread on their face, yet their heart still wanted to cry. On the one hand, the little bit of confirmation made Dorado feel so, so giddy, but on the other, Dorado’s heart sank to the bottom of the floor when Daemon revealed it to be a platonic date. Fuck. Fuck! Dorado quickly opened their mouth, hesitated, then spoke once more.
“Actually, I–”
“Are we ready now?” Their waiter came back with a glass of water to interrupt Dorado with. “How about you, Miss?” He said, looking straight at Dorado.
Fuck.
Dorado and Daemon ordered eventually, then went back to sitting awkwardly at the table.
“So you?” Daemon blinked at Dorado and crossed their arms across their chest.
“I… Oh. Can I be weird for a second?” Dorado looked down at the moth paperweight.
“You don’t need my permission.”
Dorado sighed and mustered up the courage to make eye contact with Daemon. “So. Betty told me this was a blind date.” Their face fell and Dorado wilted and hunched over. “I’ve been trying to find a partner for a couple weeks. Nobody’s been sticking around, she offered me a blind date one day, and I said yes. I mean, what’s the worst that could even happen? I’m sorry if this wasn’t the intention you were getting yourself into.”
Daemon’s lips pursed slightly and it closed its eyes in contemplation. Then it spoke, “I figured.”
“What do you mean by that?” Dorado frowned.
“It felt like Betty was lying to me. She’s been trying to set me up with people, even though I’m not entirely interested in any of her selections, and I stopped accepting invites. So then, she resorted to lying. I’m sorry she lied to you, too, Beetle.” They uttered an old nickname of Dorado’s affectionately, sadly.
The air went still between the two of them.
“So you don’t want to be romantic?” Dorado’s hope started to wane.
“That can always change,” Daemon sounded even more confused. “I’m not rejecting you, but I want to get to know you first. And I’m not lying about being stuck inside. I feel like I locked myself in a room for months. I hated it.” She frowned and reached out a hand to offer to Dorado. “I still like you better than that.”
Dorado slowly let go of their skirt with their right hand and gingerly set their fingers in Daemon’s palm. Daemon loosely clamped Dorado’s hand in his hand, cold and clammy fingers wrapping around Dorado’s fingers and palm, then let go with a smile. The sight of her neighbor smiling like that warmed Dorado’s heart even more. Despite the initial disappointment, they weren’t opposed to sitting down for dinner with an acquaintance– After all, Betty was paying for both of them.
Speaking of, Dorado changed the topic. “So, how did you get to know Betty?” They asked while Daemon was actively gulping the last of their water down.
“Uh,” Daemon set their drink down, “it’s a weird story.”
Dorado nodded. “Weird?”
“She’s an intimacy coordinator, right? Well,” Daemon leaned on her elbows on the table and whispered, “there was a scene her team was working on. Same building. It was… two floors above us. I think.” She pouted, trying to recall that day. “They needed some office supplies for the scene.”
“Oh?” Dorado snorted.
“Like I said, weird. Betty was asking me about the different staplers we had in our office,” Daemon chuckled, “I helped carry stuff from our office to the set. Then she asked me for my number.”
“Ah???” This didn’t surprise Dorado in the slightest, but there was a tinge of jealousy in their chest.
“Work only.”
“Ah.”
The two continued to chat while they waited for their food. Their waiter refilled Daemon’s glass of water and reassured them that their food was on its way. It didn’t matter, the way they went back and forth on all sorts of topics. Dorado would glow, their hands close to their mouth whenever Daemon made them giggle. They felt weirdly light, even when they finally got their food and munched away on their dish.
Daemon didn’t know, but she seemed to attract butterflies in Dorado’s body. Dorado didn’t know, but they had a crush on Daemon.
Okay, that was a lie. Dorado was somewhat aware of their feelings towards Daemon. They often dismissed it as infatuation, as Dorado would only sneak glances at their neighbor whenever they left their apartments at the same time, or when they’d run into each other at the grocery store. They didn’t exactly know what Daemon really does, or what their deal was, so Dorado was left speculating and watching from afar.
At least, until now. This was the closest he and Daemon have been. Dorado kept trying to readjust their legs under the table, but the tip of their shoe accidentally tapped Daemon's knee. The table was just a tad too small, and Dorado apologized quietly.
Dorado tried to stop nudging their shoe on Daemon’s leg while they kept adjusting, but it was at the point where Daemon would nudge back under the table. She would smirk and laugh when she saw Dorado get visibly frustrated.
“Sorry.” Daemon would pretend to apologize.
“Yeah sure.” Dorado finally moved their knees away with a smile.
“No, really. Sorry.”
“Mhm.”
“I’ll treat you to ice cream after this?”
Dorado perked up. “Oh yeah?”
Daemon immediately pulled away and sat up straight in its chair. “I’m serious. You know the place, by the complex?”
“Oh my God Daemon.” Dorado got a grin from Daemon and wanted to faint then and there. “I mean… Are you sure? That place is like, wildly expensive.”
“Your roses probably cost more than your meal.”
“… Yeah. You’re probably right.” Dorado concluded with a sigh. “Okay you win. Thank you for the treat.”
More time with Daemon! Oh, Dorado is gonna die right then and there. They finished dinner and paid with Betty's card that Dorado was borrowing before they gathered their items and rushed back outside.
The rain stopped. That rusty, wet concrete smell brought them closer as the wind blew their hair back. Dorado visibly shivered and crossed their arms in an attempt to warm up, roses cradled across their chest while Daemon stood right next to them after flagging down a cab.
“Are you okay?” Daemon asked.
“Just cold,” Dorado nodded.
The cab they crawled into was warm. Dorado relaxed and sighed into the seats.
“You look tired.” Daemon took out their phone.
“I've been walking everywhere today…” Dorado looked over and noticed Daemon opening their contacts list.
“You didn't take the bus to work?”
“I did. But I underestimated how long the walk from the museum to the restaurant was,” Dorado laughed. “And before that, I was walking around the museum like crazy. We had five field trip groups today!”
“Sounds rough,” Daemon noted before passing their phone to Dorado. “Was it fun?”
“Oh yeah it was.” Dorado took the phone and looked down at the screen. “Uh.”
“What?”
On Daemon’s phone was a prompt to add a new contact in. Already, under the Name section, was filled out with “Beetle🪲”.
“You want my number???” Dorado snickered. The cab was dark and quiet, and the screen illuminated Dorado’s face from below when he went back to start typing his number without prompt.
“Duh.” Daemon rolled her eyes before focusing back on watching Dorado punch in his number. “We might need to keep in touch in case one of us runs out of, oh I don’t know, sugar or buttermilk.”
“Sure,” Dorado absentmindedly started typing their number in, “or if Tiberius manages to sneak his way back into your apartment.”
“Please don’t let that happen. He scared me.”
“It’s been a year since that happened!” Dorado gave the phone back to Daemon. “Besides, I upgraded his tank, if you ever wanna visit. He won’t be leaving it anytime soon.”
Daemon went silent for a moment as they saved their new contact. Dorado waited for a smile or maybe even a chuckle, but Daemon only pouted while scrolling their phone. Somewhat dejected, Dorado looked at the seats, slumped back in his seat, and looked out the window. The streetlights and curtained rooms softened their glow through the raindrops and Dorado sighed.
“You don’t have to visit,” he said under his breath.
Daemon paid for the cab and opened her door, holding Dorado’s hand while they scooted out. With the other hand, Dorado had their bags hooked around their elbow while the bundle of roses was picked up. When they got to the sidewalk, the cab drove off and left them behind.
Now, in front of them, was an extremely bougie-looking ice cream shop. Amongst all the other shops in the area, it was one of the brightest; Its windows were uncovered and sat quietly from floor to ceiling, clean and pristine. Within its light were several customers chatting amongst themselves with elaborate sundaes and milkshakes with toppings that tried to reach heaven.
Dorado squinted. “You sure about this, Daemon? I can pay for myself.”
“No, it’s fine.” Daemon started to walk towards the door. “Consider this a part of my apology.”
A little bell rang when the two of them walked inside. Dorado couldn’t help but notice how sterile and sweet it smelled inside. At least it seemed clean.
“Apology?”
“For bugging you earlier. Also, I thought you already thanked me for this. Are you having second thoughts?” Daemon put his hands in his pockets and strolled past Dorado and towards the ice cream display. Dorado followed him.
“I mean…” The displays distracted Dorado. Colorful tubs beckoned them, most nearly empty considering it was almost closing time. The employee behind the display gave both of them a weary smile before going back to wiping down the counters. Dorado stayed close to Daemon and started to whisper, “kind of. I mean, look at the prices. Sixteen ninety-nine for a milkshake?”
“For a large it’s three premium toppings and two flavors of your choice. With whipped cream and a cherry on top,” Daemon whispered back. “It’s a steal.”
A squint, then a snort, then Dorado laughed. It wasn’t really that funny, even when they saw other people glance towards their direction, but Dorado’s cheeks burned while he covered his smile. They knocked their oversized glasses further down the bridge of their nose and it took a moment for them to collect themselves.
“… Okay.”
They left the shop, sweet treats in their hands. Daemon’s wallet was now forty dollars lighter, but it was worth it when Dorado tasted their drink and pulled away with a grin.
“We’re not going back in there, are we?” Dorado snickered.
“Who knows.” Daemon got a nudge to their elbow from their shorter peer and smiled down at them. “Do you like it?”
“Mm.” Another sip from Dorado’s drink. It was extremely sweet, no surprise there, with ribbons of honey twisting around a blend of peach and melon ice cream. It was topped with a tower of whipped cream and not just one, but several maraschino cherries, chocolate raspberry chips, and three cherry cordials. The cream visibly sank down when Dorado savored their dessert. “It’s amazing.”
“What did I say? It’s a steal.” Daemon looked down at her own shake, an amalgamation of colorful gummy worms, crushed Oreos, and gold sugar pearls crushing the whipped cream down against a swirl of lemon and vanilla ice cream. They took a gummy worm and placed it on top of Dorado’s shake before picking up the pace, leaving Dorado flustered and confused before realizing that Daemon was several steps ahead.
“Hey!”
Dorado laughed and walked faster. He picked up a cherry cordial from his own drink and replaced it with the gummy worm, preparing to place it on Daemon’s shake in return as soon as he caught up.
Well… He caught up, alright. Daemon stopped suddenly, and when Dorado finally went to place the candy on Daemon’s drink, he looked to the right and realized where they were.
“Ah,” was the only noise of acknowledgement Dorado made. They had both arrived at the apartment complex they both lived at.
The sight of the building was both relieving and disappointing. Dorado was having so much fun spending time with their new friend. Their chest felt tight, much like the grip Dorado had on their purse and roses before they tried to ignore their swelling emotions.
“Shit,” Dorado sighed, “lemme get my keys.”
Daemon led Dorado up the steps to the fourth floor and down the hall until they got to their doors. They sat perfectly next to each other, welcome mats separated by a potted plant while a lit lamp sat between the doorframes. Moths danced around the light, hitting the glass occasionally before making their attempt at the lamp again.
“I guess this is it.” Dorado wilted once more and frowned before trying to square their shoulders back up. They put on their best smile and turned to Daemon. “Oh well. I had fun! We should hang out again.”
Daemon was staring at their doors, blinked, and seemed to snap back when Dorado suggested they meet again.
“We should.” The right corner of Daemon’s lips quirked up slightly. “It was fun bothering you for the night.”
“You didn’t bother me at all.”
“Damn,” Daemon scoffed, “I didn’t? That’s… mildly disappointing.” They squinted at Dorado. “Maybe next time.”
Maybe.
Dorado just laughed and unlocked their door, the one on the right. Before even cracking it open, they lingered there for a moment, wondering if Daemon would stretch out an arm for a side hug or maybe even sweep Dorado in for a kiss. The thought made their heart thump faster.
They turned to look at Daemon.
Unfortunately for the romantic, Daemon just waved at Dorado with a placid smile. Oh well. While Dorado felt slightly disappointed, it was definitely better than nothing. Dorado waved back, then turned the handle of the door and slipped back into their apartment in one smooth motion.
Once inside, Dorado closed the door and took a deep, deep breath. Their back was pressed against the door and their items were close to their chest. After a moment, they peeled themself and stood back up, kicking off their shoes while setting the keys on a hook by the door. They then locked it and sighed, setting their drink, purse, and umbrella bag on the coffee table while they mulled about where to put the roses. Surely, there was a vase somewhere…
The roses were carefully unwrapped and freed from the twine used to secure them. They were then placed in the empty kitchen sink, rinsed off while Dorado set aside the packet of flower food that the bouquet came with. They walked around, trying to find the perfect vessel that could hold their new flowers.
Dorado’s phone chimed, muffled from being stuffed inside his purse. They ignored it for a good second when they took a glass vase from under the sink. They didn’t pick it up at the second chime while trying to trim the stems at an angle. At the third chime, the roses were finally set in the vase and were being carried towards their beetle’s terrarium.
“Got a gift today, Tiberius!” Dorado chirped and set it next to the tank. The rhino beetle, Tiberius, seemed unaffected by the roses and continued to pick at the substrate and leaves. Dorado didn’t expect a response, either, so they went to go check their phone.
An unknown number. Dorado assumed it was Daemon’s and opened them up to scan through:
- Hello, this is Daemon
- I had a really nice time tonight. I’m glad that I was able to spend time with you :-)
- Sorry about not responding earlier in the taxi. My boss asked if I could come in tomorrow and by the time I was done replying to him, the moment passed. But if you’re free anytime after 5PM, I’m willing to check up on that menace you call a pet. Just let me know. Goodnight Dorado (I hope I’m spelling that right), I hope I see you tomorrow?
Dorado plopped down on their couch and started kicking their legs while writing a response:
- Hi Daemon! (Now I know how to write your name hehe)
- I also had a lot of fun!!! I will admit I was a little disappointed earlier but I still don’t mind hanging out as friends. It might be for the best :P besides Betty kinda set this all up weirdly so i do not blame u.
- Also it’s okay! I leave work around that time anyways. If you want to come over around 6p that’s cool with me. ok goodnight!!! (yes you spelt that right!!!)
They threw their phone at the cushions and tried to calm their breathing down. They got up and started pacing around the living room, then decided to put that energy towards their nightly routine. Tomorrow will be a new day, another day with their new friend, and that means more opportunities for Dorado to get to know Daemon better. Maybe he won’t be so mad at Betty the next time he sees her.
The living room lights dimmed and Dorado gathered all sorts of blankets for the couch once they changed up. With their shake in their hand, Dorado wrapped themselves up as they turned on the TV for whatever movie caught their attention first. Even then, the roses were just off to the side, and Dorado couldn’t help but keep glancing at the bouquet every now and then.