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Kronii wasn’t the most social person. She wasn’t a talker, wasn’t very high energy, and she only had a few friends.
Or at least, she did, until they betrayed her by bringing her out to a party.
“Come on!” Bae shouts as she essentially drags Kronii up the driveway. “It’ll be fun!”
“For who?!” Kronii tries to back away, but Sana’s hands on her shoulder stop her. “It’s not for me!”
“Is too!” Sana laughs. “You need to loosen up, Kronini!”
“Then this isn’t the solution!-”
They manage to shove her through the door, and as soon as they do, the nerves kick in at full power.
The music hits her first, reverberating through her bones and making her feel uneasy immediately. As she quints, her eyes have trouble adjusting to the dim lights, only interrupted by the blaring neons. Then the smell, oh god, the smell-
“Nope.” Kronii shakes her head, trying to turn around, but both Bae and Sana grab her and twist her back.
“At least try!” Sana throws an arm around her shoulder, walking further into the house that already needs a heavy dry cleaning. “If you don’t like it after like, an hour, then we’ll leave.”
“How did you guys even get invited into this thing??” Kronii looks around, feeling like everything is becoming a blur except for her, who horribly stands out in her stupid button up, covered by a sweater. Nerd attire.
“One of my classmates told me about it,” Bae explains. “Told her I’d never been, and she said we could come and hang with her friends!”
Kronii groans as she’s pulled throughout the house, her feet not even trying to walk, simply pathetically sliding against the floor as Sana drags her around.
“See them?” Sana asks.
Bae hums. “Um, not sure, it’s a little hard to-”
“Bae!” A sudden voice calls out, and the three look over to see a couple girls with glow sticks, one in particular waving at them. “Over here!”
Before Kronii can process anything, she’s shoved forward by Sana as the three head over, Bae waving back.
“Irys, hey!”
“Oh, I get it now.” Sana mumbles to Kronii, who looks over in a hushed voice.
“What? What do you get?”
“Irys invited Bae,” Sana laughs, patting Kronii’s shoulder. “Y’know, the one with the purplish hair that Bae has a bit of a crush on? I think the brunette is Mumei, but I don’t know who-”
“You’re kidding right? I got dragged here because Bae has a crush on some girl?”
“Hey, shh!” Sana shakes her around a bit. “We’re moral support!”
“I’m not feeling very supported.”
“Hush and put on a smile.” Sana smacks her on the back, sending her stumbling into the kitchen island everyone else had gathered around.
“That’s Sana and Kronii,” Bae points to them, apparently having already started a conversation.
“Oh, wow,” Mumei says as the other three look over Bae’s friends. “Her friends are so much more taller than I expected.”
Kronii’s eyes flicker over to Bae, ears folded back, already feeling a little dejected. Maybe she does need moral support.
“Hm,” Irys shrugs. “Too tall for my tastes.”
Kronii watches Bae stand up straight again, tail wagging a little bit. She almost laughs, but stifles herself before freezing again as she realizes they’re looking at her.
“Oh,” A familiar green-haired girl says from across the island, and Kronii’s eyes widen with recognition as she giggles. “So you do smile.”
“Fauna?” Kronii almost stutters, yet somehow still audible over the loud music.
“Hi, Kronii.” Fauna smiles, reaching over the counter to offer something. “Glow stick?”
Awkwardly, she takes one, not really knowing how to reject it, but gets distracted by Sana nudging her. “You know her?”
“We’re in the same chemistry class.” Kronii explains, raising her voice a bit as the music grows louder for seemingly no reason.
“We actually sit next to each other,” Fauna adds, brushing a bit of her hair back. “She always lets me borrow her pens.”
“Even though you have your own…”
“I like yours,” Fauna grins before sheepishly covering her mouth with the sleeve of her loose cardigan. “They’re pretty. Like-”
Kronii helplessly blinks, not exactly sure what Fauna had said. The music had grown louder, and Fauna’s voice softer. She could’ve stopped speaking for all Kronii hears, so she just tries to lean in.
“W-what?” She asks, raising her voice a bit. “I can’t hear you, the music’s too-”
“Music!” Sana calls out, tapping Kronii on the shoulder and giving her a small thumbs up. Kronii just frustratedly stares, but Sana doesn’t catch it, already looking behind Kronii to make eye contact with Bae. “Hey, Bae, wanna try dancing?”
Bae’s ears flinch, the poor girl stiffening.
“Sana! Wh-”
“I didn’t know you danced,” Irys smirks, amused as she walks past Mumei to be next to Bae.
“Oh, well, yeah! I actually help teach choreography and-”
“Teach Irys then!” Mumei jokes, taking a glow stick and bending it to light it up. “She’s got two left feet but a lot of energy.”
Bae looks to Kronii and Sana, the latter giving a nod and a thumbs up behind Kronii’s back where only Bae can see.
“Uh, sure! I can uh, I can probably show you some stuff.” Bae’s tail flicks back and forth before stiffening as Irys grabs her hand.
“Great! Let’s go!”
Before they know it, Bae is dragged off, tail wagging like she was about to lift off at any second. The other four are left to their own devices, with Mumei speaking up.
“She’s a little drunk,” Mumei explains. “Needed liquid confidence.”
“Liquid confidence?” Kronii asks. “What’s that for?”
Fauna giggles. “So she can talk to Bae. She likes her, y’know.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Kronii nods. “Bae likes her back. Though,” She tries to look beyond the crowd at where the two have disappeared. “I’m pretty sure that’s already obvious.”
“Ah, yadda yadda, good on them!” Sana throws her arm around Kronii’s shoulders and yanking her into her side. “I heard booze?”
“Oh, I got you!” Mumei grins, starting to walk away before looking at Kronii. “Do you want any?”
Kronii waves her hand to shake it off. “No, thank you. I’m their designated driver.”
Mumei shrugs. “Your loss. Sana, right? Did you wanna see what-”
“Yep!” Sana almost throws Kronii against the counter as she steps away.
Kronii grabs her wrist, though, before she can leave. “Wh- dude, you’re leaving me?”
“Ah, you’ll be fine! You’re with Fauna!”
“But-”
“Later!”
With that, Sana and Mumei head off, and Kronii sighs before whipping her head as her wrist is suddenly touched.
She looks over to see Fauna leaning over the kitchen island, gently holding Kronii’s hand under hers.
“Problem with me?” She asks with a smile, almost as if she’s playing with the poor girl.
“No-” Kronii responds quickly, her eyes flickering back and forth between Fauna’s half-lidded eyes and the way she’s basically playing with her fingers. “I just um, I’m not really used to this.”
“Parties?” Fauna hums, taking her hand back to walk around the counters to stand next to Kronii, almost cornering her. “Or pretty girls?”
“B-both?” Kronii blinks before shaking her head. “Or, um, I mean, I’ve been around you before but-”
Fauna giggles and Kronii bites her tongue. “Kronii, you flirt.”
Her face flushes instantly. “I didn’t mean-!”
“Come on,” Fauna takes her wrists. “Let’s get you used to parties too, then.”
Kronii has no choice but to follow, mumbling apologies as she trips over her own feet. Still, she shouts, “Wait! I don’t- This isn’t-”
Fauna suddenly turns around and Kronii, still impacted by her own momentum, accidentally bumps into her before she steps away. She doesn’t manage to get too far back with Fauna dragging her back in with a giggle, and that’s when Kronii realizes.
With a small tilt of her head, “Are you drunk?”
“Maybe a little~” Fauna admits. “But not as much as everyone else, it takes a lot for me, y’know?”
“No, I don’t know.”
“Ah.” Fauna grins, taking Kronii’s hands and setting it on her hips. “Lightweight.”
“No,” Kronii scoffs, staying awkwardly stiff as Fauna starts moving to the music. “I just don’t drink.”
“Why not?”
Kronii looks away, anywhere else.
“Because I’m a lightweight,” She mumbles under her breath, hoping Fauna didn’t hear, but as a laugh invades her brain and finds a home there, she realizes her hopes have been crushed.
“You’re cute, can I say that?”
Kronii’s head whips back, face redder than ever. “Wh- what?”
“You didn’t respond earlier when I called you pretty, so-”
She blinks. “When did you call me pretty?”
Fauna pauses. “So you really didn’t hear me?” She shakes her head no and Fauna grins. “Thank god, I was wondering if you hated me or something.”
Kronii jerks her head back in offense. “Why would I hate you?”
“Thought you might be tired of me. I am always bothering you during class.”
“Well,” Kronii shrugs. “I don’t mind it. I like talking to you.”
“Really?”
Kronii nods. “You’re nice… And, y’know, you talk to me.”
Fauna giggles once again, lifting Kronii’s arm to turn around underneath it before turning around. She presses her back against the taller girl, smirking as she looks over her shoulder.
“Low bar, don’t you think?”
“Low expectations,” Kronii mumbles, a little too focused on how she can see faint freckles from how close Fauna was. “Don’t exactly expect a pretty girl to talk to me.”
Fauna spins herself once again, facing Kronii before stepping closer. “So you do think I’m pretty.”
“Ah-” Kronii tries looking away, but a hand on her (burning) cheek has her looking back.
“Go on,” Fauna whispers, yet her voice is somehow heard as clear as day this time. “Don’t hold back.”
Kronii shakes her head. “I can’t dance.”
“Shh,” Fauna hushes, leaning closer. “I wasn’t talking about dancing.”
“Wait, then what-”
“Shut up.”
Just like that, Kronii’s lips are occupied.
“Thanks for letting us stay at your guys’ place!” Irys grins as she walks in, followed by Mumei who immediately goes to the couch to faceplant.
“Yeah,” The brunette muffles into the cushions. “Thanks for the ride, too.”
Bae stretches as she appears next. “I’m just glad we could all fit in Kronii’s car. And that we didn’t get caught by a cop or anything.”
“Yeah-” Kronii grunts, dragging in Sana. The girl was currently draped over one of Kronii’s shoulders, an arm on her back as she was completely unconscious. “I’m really glad you guys are- ugh- helping me here!”
The door closes, and soon the weight eases up. She looks over to see Fauna grinning as she takes Sana’s other arm and puts it over her own shoulders to help carry her.
“Where to?”
Kronii looks over. “I was gonna say the couch but-”
On cue, Mumei softly snores into the pillows. Kronii deadpans.
“Ugh. At least her room is downstairs.” She looks over at Fauna. “You okay with that?”
“Yea,” Sana’s head lazily lifts up before headbutting Kronii’s. “Thahank you, Kroninini~”
“If you’re awake then just walk yourself!”
“Noooo,” She squirms between Kronii and Fauna, who struggle to keep her upright. “No one carriesss me when I’m- when awake-”
“Quit moving or you’re gonna-!”
Sana falls forward and slips out of their arms. Fauna almost tries to catch her to no avail, but at least it was more than what Kronii tried to do… Which was just giving up as soon as Sana leaned forward.
“Uuu…” Fauna whines, stepping next to Kronii. “Is she gonna be okay?”
Kronii steps over her. “She’ll live.”
With that, she grabs a pillow from the couch Mumei was laying on, one that the brunette wasn’t using, and throws it on top of her.
“There. All cozy.”
Sana snorts from underneath the pillow, already unconscious once more.
“How much did they drink when we weren’t looking…?” Fauna whispers, and Kronii scoffs.
“Irys, did you want a blanket too?”
Bae quickly looks over. “Actually, if you want somewhere to sleep, my bed is-”
“Ooh!” Irys smiles as she curls up in one of the recliners. “Yes, please!”
Bae’s ears fold, and when Fauna walks by, following Kronii, she ruffles her hair a bit.
“Yeah, okay,” Bae mumbles, dejected and turning around. “I’ll go to my room.”
“I think there’s room on this thing,” Irys calls out and Bae pauses. “If you wanna share or something. It could be a sleepover~”
Bae grins and looks at Kronii, who throws the blanket at her face before Bae recklessly jumps over Sana to head to Irys.
“What about you?” Kronii asks Fauna. “Where did you wanna sleep?”
“Where are you gonna sleep?” Fauna responds.
“In… my bed?”
“Sounds cozy.” Fauna smiles, leaning into whisper into Kronii’s ear. “I’ll meet you there.”
Kronii’s ears turn red.
What happened to not telling anybody about us?! She thinks to herself as she follows up the stairs.