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“Don't you think Miss Robin and Firefly are acting kinda off?”
Stelle turns her head to March, her mouth still stuffed with a disgusting amount of cake. The birthday girl in question had her face scrunched up with suspicion while she looked at the couple's unusual behaviour. Something feels wrong with them. They look a little too distant with each other. On any other day they would be flirting or doing something stupidly sappy that everyone would have to try their hardest to look away. But now it’s like nothing is happening between them.
And is it just me or Stelle isn’t answering me?
“Hey! Answer me you-”
March stops mid sentence to sigh as she notices Stelle's… situation, deciding to wait for her raccoon of a friend to be finally unoccupied. She hears a not so graceful gulp soon after and cringes with her eyes glaring daggers at the culprit.
“Huh? I'm only eating. Why are you looking at me like I murdered someone?”
Silence echoes awkwardly. One of them starts walking away from the other. Stelle grabs onto the runaway's arm to keep her from leaving. She offers a pleading look to the other girl hoping she would hear her out. March reluctantly stays
“Maybe they're having an argument? Even if they aren't, you don't have to worry about them, Marchie. Those two are inseparable, they always figure things out. Don't they?”
March opens her mouth to retort but she decides not to. If she knew how to help, she would at least try. Maybe I was overthinking it. The girl purses her lips and eventually sighs as a sign of reluctance. “...yeah. That's probably it. Hopefully they sort things out soon… wuh- WHAT-”
A bridal carry is the last thing she expected from this idiot right now. She yelps as she covers her face from the pure embarrassment she’s facing. She would wonder why Stelle would be this embarrassing, but she knows her well enough that this is the bare minimum of Stelle being her goofy self. The raccoon incarnate is going easy on her.
“Cheer up~ It's your special day! You should be the happiest here!! Let's go bother Dan Heng and the others~!”
Stelle grins from ear to ear as she scurries away with the birthday girl in her arms. It will be a challenge to escape her clutches now. She tries to ignore a warm fuzzy feeling that was jumping around frantically inside her chest.
“Sure but I’m not a baby, Stelle- Put me down!!!”
|🕊️ |
Robin hates to admit it but she should have made an excuse to skip the party. The Halovian didn’t have the heart to reject March’s invite at the time but now she wished she did. The mere presence of her ex lover was making it extremely uncomfortable to stay on the Astral Express a moment longer.
It wasn’t that Firefly was doing something absolutely insufferable. No, not at all. Or at least she doesn’t think so. Well it wasn't exactly her fault? Only that they’re sitting rather closely with their fingers laced together. Not the most ideal position.
How did this happen? She would like to know the answer to that too.
This was something they never agreed on, not even a planned act. It was more of an accident that neither of them saw coming, it's not in either of their favour for the current situation too. The Halovian wasn’t sure when it happened but Firefly didn’t protest in the slightest and Robin didn’t notice. The ongoing tension they’re having would grow even more awkward if one of them releases their hand so they’re quite literally stuck like this for a while.
One would think observing Firefly is easy, well that would be true on a surface level. Robin disagrees. Firefly puts a damn good facade when she needs to and this is one of those times. When Robin first asked Firefly about going along with her by playing pretend, she obliged almost instantly after some light persuasion, which Robin finds a tad suspicious about. But since the hunter agreed, it works out for her. Even though she’s already regretting it now.
At least Firefly has stopped staring at her. But isn’t holding hands more intimate than eye contact? Isn’t their current predicament worse? Robin sighs silently as she turns away with her wings covering part of her neck and face. I want to leave…
“Firefly, you aren’t going to hangout with the others?” That was one way to make an excuse to slip away. Maybe her question came off a little sudden, because Firefly visibly flinched the moment she spoke. She watches her subtly as the silver haired girl shakes her head dismissively.
“I don’t feel like it. Besides, isn't that supposed to be my question? You’re the intergalactic idol here.”
The songstress huffs at that. Her tone makes her sound like the hunter didn't even want to be an inch near her. The irony of them being in each other's presence with little distance doesn't help their situation at all. She tries to give a neutral response the best she can, but she's seething too much to care at how she's speaking to the hunter. “That doesn’t mean I enjoy mingling with others all the time. I’m not the one who knows Stelle and her friends better.”
Firefly pauses at her answer. Robin notices how she opens her mouth and closes it to stop herself from speaking. Seemingly unsure with her words, the hunter looked away for a few seconds and sighed.
“I wasn’t accusing you of anything, Robin. Why are you so mad at me?”
Her heart drops. It felt like her chest was getting hollow in where her heart is supposed to be. She never would’ve thought the words coming out from Firefly’s mouth would be so unpleasant. Robin figures her frustration was already obvious at this point. She lets her wings slump down and frowns at the hunter’s words. She didn’t want this either. Robin shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Her fingers are still loosely entangled with Firefly’s. Why?
“Do you want me to let go?”
The silver haired girl looks at her with a sad smile adorning her features. Robin’s heart wretches as she returns Firefly’s gaze. The implications of her question weighed heavier than it should. The only answer she could give is ‘yes’, right? Their relationship didn’t work out, it’s a normal thing to do. Letting go of someone you once loved. No, please don’t. The songstress struggles to speak, it was like there was a huge lump in her throat stopping her from uttering out her answer. She wants this. Do I want this?
She averts her gaze away from the hunter’s oh so gorgeous dawn coloured eyes. She couldn’t give an answer. No. Robin bites her lip with annoyance fueling inside of her. The Halovian’s eyes grow hazier, her breathing grows erratic but at the same time it feels like she isn’t breathing. Like she’s drowning. She can’t breathe-
“I still lo-”
Let my heart bravely spread the wings-
A resounding thump could be heard between them. An awkward silence settles as Firefly fumbles with her phone to turn it off. She pants in embarrassment at the distraction. Robin’s cheeks glow as one of her songs plays out from the hunter’s phone. She’s aware Firefly changes it once in a while but it’s… rather different hearing it in person. But either way, that call interrupted them.
“Sorry… I have to change that soon.” Firefly removes her hand from Robin’s and checks her device hastily. The songstress feels her world falling apart. Firefly only moved her hand. Robin feels the dread catching up to her. The warmth that was once on her hand dissipates, she can’t say she misses it.
But I do.
“Miss Robin!! Come sing the birthday song for Marchie-”
The sentence cuts off from the other enthusiastic voices calling her over. Robin turns her head and does her best to smile at the crowd. Her facade disappears as she watches Firefly getting up from her seat. “Guess the both of us have our own things to attend to.” She barely spares Robin a look, her back mostly facing the Halovian.
“Is this an excuse to leave? I thought we agreed-”
“I actually have things to do, Robin.”
Firefly interrupts her abruptly. Robin dislikes how she can’t see her expression. I wish I could see her properly. She breathes out heavily and gets up as well, patting non existent dust off her dress. Robin reaches for the hunter’s hand.
“Is that so. Have… a nice night, Miss Firefly.”
She never understood why Firefly never pulled away when she laid a gentle kiss on her hand.