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"Can you stay here?" The small kirin asked.
"W-what? Why?" The taller girl sputtered in disbelief.
Fauna took a step forward and poked Kronii on the nose.
"You're nice, I told you. We-.. we could be friends!"
And for once, Kronii wasn't immediately opposed to the idea.
♡
Sticks and leaves crunched under little Kronii's sneakers as she pushed her way through an unfamiliar forest. She was hopelessly lost, and had been for a while. It wasn't like she'd really had a home to begin with, but this area was one she'd never been to before. This wasn't all bad, though. Now she was away from those stupid bullies.
They had chased her away from where she had been staying, and now she was lost here. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Kronii looked up through the trees at the sky. Maybe if she got to higher ground, she could tell where she was going-
Just then, the ground was gone from under Kronii's feet, and she tumbled down a steep slope with a short scream.
Sticks and rocks scratched painfully against her skin all the way down. Once she stopped falling, Kronii slowly opened her eyes. Sitting up, she examined herself. The child wasn't badly hurt, but she had gained a few cuts and scratches. Glaring at nothing, Kronii stood on shaky legs.
"Hey!"
Kronii almost stumbled back onto the ground from the sudden shock. She looked around frantically for the source of the voice, but couldn't see it. "Wh-who- where? Hello?" She called back.
Then, a girl in a white dress, probably around the same age as Kronii, appeared. The girl smiled as she waved at her from behind a row of trees.
She had a strange appearance, Kronii thought. The girl had green hair which was adorned with yellow flowers, and on both sides of her head stood deerlike horns, but they almost looked like tree branches because of the leaves sprouting from them. "Hi! Who are you? What are you doing so far into the forest?" The girl asked.
She asks a lot of questions.
"I got lost. Can you help me?" Kronii avoided the girl's question for now.
"You're lost? Where do you live?"
Kronii faltered. She didn't exactly live anywhere. ..Not anymore. She looked down at her scratched arm.
"Oh, you're hurt. What happened?"
Kronii huffed. "I don't know where anything is in this stupid forest, so I didn't know where I was going and fell."
The shorter girl faltered a little at the sudden harshness of Kronii's tone.
"I know how to fix it," She offered. "I have some golden apples in my tree! They'll heal you." The girl then softened her voice, almost to a timid whisper.
"And also, the forest isn't stupid. It's my home." Kronii suddenly felt.. guilty? For insulting the younger girl's home. She took a few steps closer to the green-haired girl.
"You live in this forest?"
An excited nod. "I'm a kirin! My name is Ceres Fauna. What's yours?"
"..I'm Kronii."
Fauna proved to be.. trustworthy. The kirin had taken Kronii to where she lived in the woods, which turned out to be a cozy treehouse. In that same tree grew the golden apples Fauna had brought up. She had fed Kronii one of the apples, and the girl watched in awe as her scratches and pain vanished entirely. Kronii found herself quickly warming up to Fauna.
"I thought kirin were only in books. I didn't know they were real! Are you magic? Did you grow these apples?"
"Maybe? I think I might be, but I'm only little. My mom grew this tree for me a few years ago, and then these apples grew when spring came." Kronii's eyes widened. "There are more kirin?! I wanna meet them! Where's your family?"
Fauna's smile faltered before dropping completely, and the younger girl shrunk down and turned away. She looked so sad now.
Had Kronii messed up? Did she say something wrong?
Fauna sniffled. Immediately, alarm spiked through Kronii.
"I-I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Fauna wiped her eyes, but didn't reply.
Kronii hesitated. She had never been good at comforting people, but she knew she had to do something. Kronii wrapped her arms around the little kirin, pulling her into a hug. She assumed Fauna must not have expected it, the way she tensed up at first contact, but then slowly melted into the hug. Fauna pulled away after a few seconds. Her eyes were still teary, but she studied Kronii's face with a new curiosity.
"..You're nice..?" It sounded more like a question to Kronii than a statement.
"I- um.. I think so? I mean, I fought with people before, but that's because they tried to take my food.. or hurt me. a-am I nice? To you?"
Fauna cracked a small smile. "You're nice." She sounded genuine.
Kronii smiled back, her fangs poking out from under her lip.
"Oh! You have fangs!" Fauna exclaimed, pointing at Kronii's mouth. "Can I see them? Why do you have fangs?"
Kronii was a bit taken aback by the girl's sudden exclamation, but opened her mouth to show off the fangs anyway before speaking. "I'm a snake."
"Woah, are you poison?"
"I-it's venom! And yes, so you shouldn't make me mad. I bite, you know." She joked, smirking mischievously. The two talked and laughed long into the evening. It wasn't until Kronii absent-mindedly looked at her watch that she realized the time, and that she was still in the forest and had no way of knowing how to get back to where she had been staying.
Should she even go back? Would there be anything left of her hideout? She stood up anyway. She had to go somewhere for the night.
"Kronii? What is it?" Fauna's voice pulled the snake from her thoughts.
"It's night time, I have to leave.."
"Oh, right." The girl looked a bit disappointed at that. "Did your family set a curfew? Will you be in trouble?"
Kronii suddenly felt cold. "..I don't.. I- no, they-.." She bit her lip and stared down at the ground.
"Oh."
So much understanding was held in the single word Fauna had whispered. The two stayed silent for a few moments before Fauna stood up as well.
"Can you stay here?" The small kirin asked.
"W-what? Why?" The taller girl sputtered in disbelief.
Fauna took a step forward and poked Kronii on the nose. "You're nice, I told you. We-.. we could be friends!"
Kronii thought about it for a while, and was surprised to realize that for once, she wasn't immediately opposed to the idea. In fact, it was the exact opposite. "..Okay."
Years passed. Kronii spent them all with Fauna, who was glad to have the snake around. As they got older, they began to outgrow the small treehouse, so the pair built a bigger house in the heart of the forest, just for the two of them.
In her time with Fauna, Kronii had learned a lot of things from the kirin. In turn, Kronii taught Fauna a lot of what she picked up from her early days living on her own. Their skills are how they were able to live together in the forest, depending on each other.
The forest, where they met. Where they lived, made memories, learned new skills, and eventually..
Fell in love.
Kronii awoke next to Fauna in the bed they shared, the kirin clinging to her for warmth. She smiled down at the face she had grown to love. Fauna looked so peaceful lying against her, her head resting against Kronii's shoulder.
Her hand absentmindedly came up to brush a bang out of the girl's face, and she froze when she realized why she had moved it away in the first place. Kronii felt her face warm up as she pulled Fauna closer, abandoning the kiss she had been about to give.
Fauna stirred in her sleep, opening her eyes to look up at Kronii. The kirin smiled warmly up at Kronii, golden eyes sparkling.
"Hi."
The kirin's voice was heavy with sleep, and she rubbed her eyes. Kronii smiled back, feeling Fauna readjust her grip around her.
"Hi. Did you sleep well?" Fauna nodded and placed her head on Kronii's chest.
"Still tired?"
Fauna yawned quietly and nodded again.
"A little bit."
Kronii gently ran her fingers through Fauna's hair, feeling the kirin relax against her.
"I can start work outside for you while you get some more sleep," She suggested. "Just let me get up-"
Kronii moved to get out of bed, but Fauna held her down.
"Don't leave," She mumbled. It was obvious Fauna was drifting back into sleep already. "Want you to stay with me."
Kronii felt warmth rush to her cheeks at that, and she faltered. "S-stay, okay. Yeah, sure."
Awkwardly, Kronii wrapped her arms around Fauna, as if the two could possibly get any closer. They dozed lightly for another few hours before Fauna woke up again.
Kronii sat up which lifted Fauna, who had been lying on her chest. The kirin fussed a bit before sitting up next to Kronii. "S-sorry.. I forgot you were there."
"It's okay! We should be getting up anyway. I have to check on the plants."
Kronii got out of bed first, holding a hand out to Fauna to help her up. Fauna didn't really need the help, but she smiled appreciatively and took the kind gesture anyway.
Outside, Kronii took a deep breath as she stretched, then relaxed. The day was bright and warm, so she was glad to just be wearing a simple tank top and shorts.
Fauna walked past Kronii, now changed into a flowy yellow sundress. She held a basket in one hand as she made her way to the garden the two were working on.
Kronii walked over to the half-built shed on the far side of the garden, near the golden apple tree.
I gotta finish this shed soon, before it starts getting too hot to work out here.
With that thought, Kronii grabbed a few of the wooden planks that sat in a pile and carried them to her workbench to cut them.
Kronii threw herself deep into her work, losing track of time and everything around her. She was so focused that she hadn't even noticed Fauna walk over and sit down to watch her work.
..Until the kirin giggled, and it pulled Kronii out of her focus entirely.
"Oh! F-Fauna, have you been watching me?" Fauna nodded, stifling another laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, just.. you had such a stone-faced look.. you do that a lot when you're really focused. Did you know that?"
How long had Fauna been watching her to be able to notice something like that?! Kronii felt her cheeks slowly warming and averted her gaze. She went to go put down her hammer.
"N-no, I guess not. Sorry-"
"Don't be. It's cute." Forget slowly warming. A blush quickly fanned out across her cheeks, even as she almost tripped over her own feet. Had Fauna really just called her cute? Did she hear that correctly?
The kirin stood up and moved in front of Kronii's work bench. She looked over the blueprint Kronii had drawn for the shed, studying the little notes and numbers Kronii had written for dimensions and features. "Kronii, how close to done is this?" Kronii looked at the shed, then the blue print.
"I just have to finish the walls, and then I can start on the interior. Why? There something you want me to add?"
Now it was Fauna's turn to look away. Her cheeks looked a bit redder than they had before as she spoke. "N-no, just.. uhm.."
Kronii felt concern begin seeping in. "Is something wrong?"
The kirin shook her head. "Just.. would it be okay if you took a break for a while? Just a little bit, it'd be quick-"
"Sure." "Are you sure? You were busy, maybe I shouldn't bother-"
"Fauna. It's fine, you're not bothering me. I needed to take a break anyway, so it's good to spend time with you."
Fauna's ramble was cut short by Kronii's reassurances. The kirin averted her gaze and took Kronii's hand, leading her further out into the woods. As they walked, Kronii noticed that Fauna had bordered the path with plants and flowers. But how?
These arent native here. Fauna couldn't have bought seeds for these..
She was then abruptly pulled out of her thoughts when she bumped into Fauna.
The girl nearly fell over, but Kronii grabbed her arm to stop the fall and pulled her in close.
"S-sorry! I-I didn't notice you stopped-"
Too close.
Kronii let go of the very flushed kirin, who she'd basically almost brushed lips with just then. Kronii could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to stutter out another apology.
"Kronii, you silly snake, it's alright! Calm down, It's okay."
Sighing shakily, Kronii nodded. "S-so.. why did you bring me out here? And how did you get those plants to grow around the path? The shops nearby don't sell the seeds for them, do they?"
Fauna smiled brightly, shaking her head. "Do you remember what I told you about the apple tree? How my mother grew it for me, and you asked me if I was able to grow things as well?"
Kronii's eyes widened. "You can grow plants!"
"I never really tried it until recently, but I was thinking about some things, and got curious." Fauna knelt down and held a hand over the ground, and Kronii gingerly sat next to her as to not disturb anything.
Just then, little sprouts began emerging from the soil. As they grew, buds began to form, and they bloomed into big, brightly colored red carnations.
Kronii reached out and touched the soft, velvety petals. "Fauna, they're beautiful." Still focusing on the flowers, Fauna smiled. "I like the red ones. They hold deep meaning, i think."
Kronii did a double take when she saw it at first. Fauna's hair was now adorned with deep red carnations, the same as the ones she had just grown.
Kronii had seen these flowers in one of Fauna's books once, and under it, if she was remembering correctly, the text had piqued Kronii's interest enough for her to memorize it.
Flowers can be used to represent words that can't be spoken out loud. The carnation is commonly used to convey love or admiration.
"Kronii? Is something wrong?"
Kronii jumped when she realized she had been staring at Fauna this whole time, probably red-faced and wide-eyed. "Uh.. no, just-" She giggled as she took one of the flowers from Fauna's hair.
"You're sprouting flowers."
The kirin turned away again. "That always happens when I feel strong emotions, i-it's normal." The stutter betrayed Fauna's flimsy bravado.
Kronii held the red flower gently in her hands, as if the petals were made of glass and a single movement too quickly would shatter them. "Red carnations?" She asked, her voice soft.
"You've never sprouted those before." The snake could see more flowers sprouting, even as Fauna kept her back turned. Kronii smiled. "..I like the red ones as well." With this, she placed the flower behind Fauna's ear and leaned into the girl's side.
"I have for a long time." The two sat in silence for a while, Kronii tracing little heart and stars onto Fauna's skin with her finger.
Fauna finally spoke, her voice wavering. "How long..?"
"Since you first showed them to me."
Fauna finally turned to look at Kronii. There were tears in her eyes, which Kronii gently wiped away. "Hey, it's alright.."
Fauna leaned into the palm caressing her cheek, sighing shakily against it. "Kronii, are you saying what I think you are?"
The kirin's voice came out in a hushed whisper, cautious and quiet. As Kronii ran her thumb softly across Fauna's cheek another tear fell, and panic began to rise in her chest.
Had she messed up? Was this.. wrong?
"Is it.. is it okay?"
"Yes. I'm just.. I was so anxious thinking about it.. I wasn't sure if you.."
Kronii breathed a sigh of relief.
"I like you, Fauna. I think It's been.. kind of obvious, for the past few weeks, but I really want this. I want to be with you."
Fauna placed her own hand over Kronii's. "I wanna be with you too. I'd really like to spend my life with you, Kronii."
The two smiled warmly at each other before Kronii leaned in closer just slightly.
"Can I..?"
Fauna answered the question without words, instead opting to pull Kronii closer until their lips met in a gentle kiss.
Kronii memorized the way Fauna's lips felt against her own. Soft, warm, a little shaky but full of so, so much love. She wanted to keep this forever.
When they pulled back to breathe, Fauna buried her face in Kronii's neck.
Cute.. so precious.
Kronii looked up at the sky, surprised to see that the sun was already setting. "Hey, let's go back home. It's getting dark."
Fauna nodded, and Kronii helped her stand on shaky legs. The whole way back, Fauna kept close to Kronii, never letting go of her hand.
Once the two were inside their house, Kronii flopped down into a chair at the table, and Fauna let go of Kronii's hand. "You must be really tired from working all day. I'll make us some food and then we can spend time together, okay?"
She wanted to help Fauna in the kitchen, but Kronii could feel how tired she was at the edge of her mind now that the adrenaline from earlier's events had worn off. Instead, Kronii nodded. "Thank you, Fauna."
She leaned back, relaxing her head against the back of the chair and closing her eyes.
Kronii replayed the events in her mind over and over, smiling to herself as she waited for the food. The flowers, the confession, the kiss.. gods, Kronii almost couldn't believe it had really happened.
She'd loved Fauna for years, and they had always been really close, but now they would be together in an entirely new, exciting way.
At some point, Kronii guessed she must've started falling asleep, because she startled at Fauna's voice.
The kirin giggled at the way Kronii's eyes flew open. "Sorry, Kronii. Here, the food's done."
Fauna placed a bowl of hot vegetable soup in front of her, and Kronii admired the colorful mix of vegetables and spices.
"Wow, this looks amazing."
Fauna smiled warmly at Kronii, sitting down across from her. "Thank you! I used fresh vegetables from the garden to make it. That's why I took less time working over there, today was harvest day."
The two spoke quietly between bites, Kronii savoring every spoonful. She felt herself relaxing at the sound of Fauna's voice as she spoke affectionately of some animals she saw today.
After they finished, Kronii helped Fauna clean up the dishes, feeling content and happy.
When the dishes were done, the two got in bed, ready to sleep. Kronii leaned her head on Fauna's shoulder, feeling comforted and safe in her presence. Fauna pulled Kronii in closer to her, and kronii tried to ignore the way she felt her face get warm again.
"It's been such a wonderful day," Kronii mumbled into Fauna's chest.
"I enjoyed today too, Kronii. I'm really happy to be with you." The two sat in silence as Fauna ran her fingers over and over through Kronii's hair, careful not to accidentally pull.
"Hey, Fauna..? Can I tell you something?"
Kronii asked, breaking the silence.
"Of course." Fauna turned her head to look at Kronii.
"I-I just hope you know I really do care about you. I meant what I said back there, I-I.. I- ..I love you. And I hope we can continue to spend time together like this, you really make me feel safe."
Even in the dark, Kronii could see Fauna's eyes sparkling with emotion.
The kirin pulled Kronii into a tight embrace. "I love you too,"
Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke, and Kronii wrapped her arms around Fauna to comfort her.
"I'm really glad I make you so happy. You make me feel safe too, you always have."
Kronii pulled back, brushing Fauna's bangs out of her face once again.
But this time, she got to do what she had intended to this morning. Kronii leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Fauna's lips.
It was soft and sweet, yet full of passion. When they pulled away, Fauna stared for a moment, surprised, and Kronii wondered for a moment if she had messed up-
Until Fauna sat up, wrapping her arms around Kronii's neck to kiss her again. As they pulled away again, Kronii felt her heart pounding in her chest.
Fauna pulled Kronii back down into bed and hid her face in her neck. "Goodnight, Kronii."
Kronii awkwardly wrapped her arms around the kirin, pulling her closer.
"Yeah- G-.. g-good- Goodnight."
Kronii felt herself relax again, and she pressed one last kiss to Fauna's forehead. As she fell asleep, Kronii thought excitedly of their future together.