started: 21/10/2023
Peppino hears the unmistakable voice of the Noise, ranting and raving up a storm something fierce. from the sounds of it, he seems Really mad, and Peppino is curious, because it takes a Lot to get the Noise genuinely angry. he sneaks forward, peeking from behind a wall, and spots the Noise and Noisette standing next to each other. Noise is tugging the ends of his hat hard enough to rip the fabric, teeth sharp and eyes red, his whiskers and cape furled, while the Noisette listens, hands linked behind her back, shifting her weight from foot to foot. her ears are drooped low, upset.
it has something to do with Pizzahead, but Peppino doesn't have the full context as to what's gotten him so riled up. "stupid idea" and "jackass" are thrown around, which tells him very little, since Pizzahead has only ever had bad ideas, and he always acts like a jackass, but Pizzahead must have done something seriously bad for the Noise to be throwing such an extreme tantrum. he's never seen him so riled up, and from the worried expression of Noisette, neither has she.
in the middle of his rant, Noisette stands in front of Noise, blocking Peppinos view. Peppino watches as she raises her right hand, to which Noise's rants instantly sputter to a stop. he can't see what she's doing, so Peppino can only assume that she's cupping Noise's face, or something to that degree. she lifts her other hand to mirror the right, and hears the Noise take a shaky breath, which turn in to deep inhales.
Peppino see's her arms moving. it doesn't take long for Noisette's sagged ears to perk up, as Noise raises both arms to, presumably, hold her hands. Peppino wishes he could see what they were exactly doing.
Noise mutters something, Noisette mutters back. they stay in their hold for a minute longer before both release the other, and Noisette steps away, her expression much brighter than before. Noise, too, seems calmer, his face tinged red that has nothing to do with his previous frustrations.
Peppino stores the information away, and moves on with his day.
whatever Pizzahead did still has Noise's mood in a serious vex even a week later, and this time, there is no Noisette around to calm him down.
one thing led to another, and now he's found himself tangled up in the Noise's claws, his teeth dangerously sharp and dangerously close to doing actual bodily harm. the Noise means business this time - there are no cameras, no show to preform for, no fake bombs and soft padding for them to play pretend. just them, in Peppinos parlour, brawling on the hard floor, where Noise sits on top of Peppino and snaps at him like a shark, both hands clutched in Peppinos shirt with death grips while he struggles to keep the demon at bay. he can't get a good hold of Noise's shoulders, hands slipping in his terror, and Noise keeps getting closer and closer with those teeth with pure intents to maim.
and because Peppinos not too keen on losing an entire limb over some guy having a bad week, he impulsively reaches out and grabs hold of Noise's face, if only to keep the beasts daggers away from his throat.
instantly, the Noise freezes, his deep red pupils glaring straight through Peppinos soul. the both of them pant as Peppino goes from pushing Noise's face away with the heels of his hands, to cupping his cheeks with his palms.
'what the hell are you doing.' Noise demands, voice clipped, still curled tighter than a springlock. his claws remain balled in his shirt, but he stops trying to chomp at him, so Peppino counts it as a win.
'I don't want you biting me.' it's a reasonable thing to not want. he'd have to get a rabies shot and everything, which would be so inconvenient. 'what the hell are you so mad about?'
'none of your business.'
'you made it my business when you knocked me over and tried ripping my throat out.' Peppino regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth - can feel the way the Noise snarls as he tries to crouch down and lunge at his neck again, slightly raising Peppino off the floor in his ire. through sheer panic, Peppino leans as far back as humanly possible, his thumbs moving stiff lines under the Noise's eyes. again, it makes Noise pause. Peppino will take whatever he can get, so he keeps doing the motions, even as his entire body shakes. 'you're not-you-' Peppino swallows. Noise tracks the bob of his Adams apple. predator and prey. 'you a-ain't usually this, m-m-mad over, over anythin'.'
'yeah.' the Noise takes a minute to draw in a breath, closing his eyes. Peppinos thumbs continue to sweep soft lines across his cheek bones. he gains more courage when Noise begins to inhale deeply, his fingers lightly scratching the sides of Noise's face. Peppino can't help but notice him begin to lean in to the touch. '… yeah.' when he opens them, Peppino is glad to see that they're no longer a paralysing red, but a deep brown, and he's loathe to admit that he accidentally gets lost in them. huh. I always thought they were a weird green. Noise explodes with a sigh, hands letting go of his shirt, but he doesn't lean away from Peppinos touch.
Noise closes his eyes again, his right hand rising to latch on to Peppinos wrist (gently, with no claws). it makes his heart jump, but he doesn't stop scratching. the Noise takes a moment to just breathe, his body sagging more and more with every exhale. it should've made Peppino uncomfortable, but there's a strange peace with it. the Noise's weight on top of him is nice, even if the floor makes his back hurt.
…
wait, what?
'are you uh, good, now?'
'hm?' Noise gazes down at Peppino, half lidded, not an ounce of anger present. he does a slow blink, then hums, letting go of his wrist and throwing a leg over and off Peppino. with little fanfare and sparing the dramatics, the Noise stands up (Peppino lets his hands slip from his face, since he's too stunned to take them back himself), brushes himself off, and offers a hand down for Peppino to take. all he can do is stare at it, arms held out like he's a frozen T-Rex. Noise cocks a brow. he seems tired. 'you gonna stay down there or somethin'?'
Peppino clears his throat, and finally wills his limbs to work. he props himself up with one arm, then reaches out with the other, clapping their palms together. the Noise's grip is solid as he hefts him to his feet. Peppino would have fallen flat on his face, still dizzy from his brush with death, but the Noise saves him the embarrassment, his other arm reaching around to support Peppinos back and clutch his side.
'I'm ah, haha. sorry. 'bout that.' Peppino refuses to look at him, but nods anyway, to let Noise know he'd heard his words. he can't get the Noise's brown eyes out of his head, his heart a hammer of nerves. had they always been that brown? why can't he recall? why had he thought they were green? why has he only taken notice of them now? 'but eeeh, thanks. for that. Pizzahead did somethin' that got real on my nerves.'
'yeah, I could tell.' Peppino hears him huff, which is close to a laugh, so he doesn't worry about getting tackled back to the floor. he's too distracted to consider worrying; Noise still has his hands on him. holding his hand, resting on his hip, the Noise's side pushed close to Peppinos for the extra support. the contact burns, tingles ricocheting through his whole body from the points of contact, and he doesn't know if he's just really lonely, or really enjoying it. the only kinds of touches they ever exchanged was through violence, not this, whatever this even is.
'it's just whatever - he should listen to me some time and not put a fucking vending machine in front of Noisette's café door. you sure you ain't gonna fall over?' Peppino nods, not trusting his voice. finally, Noise lets him go, stepping back, and all he can think is hold me again, instantly followed by God I really am lonely.
'door?' it comes out a bit too accusatory and half as a squeak, but come on. a fucking door? 'you count going through a wall as a door?' and maybe he shouldn't be poking the wasps nest, but a door?
'there was a door before Fuckhead sealed it up!' Noise puts a hand to his chest and puffs it out, making his tone high pitched and wobbly. '"it messes with the aesthetic of this floor!" "oh doesn't it look so much better without the café sign now? I'm sooooo smart and good at designs." now he wants to put a vender in front of that, too! as if that's gonna make the place look any better! he's doing this shit on purpose, I swear, and-' he's off, arms waving around as he insults Pizzahead with every swearword in the book.
Peppino doesn't worry about if he's gonna get attacked again. he simply stands back and watches, letting the Noise vent his anger in ways that won't get him bitten. he's only half paying attention, the scald of contact still ringing fresh across his skin, tingles ever present where the Noise's hands had been. he can feel his face burn hotter than coals; he's probably redder than Pepperman, if he had to guess. all he can see is that dull brown colour. they were warm. he wants to get close and look into them again.
I need to go out and get so drunk I don't remember anything, he concludes with a huff.