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A long day of playing in the snow around Pinewood Village had come to an end. After the sledding, snowball fights, and yeti attacks, the log cabin on the edge of town had fallen into relative peace. The only noise that could be heard inside were the crackles of a well-kept fireplace, broken by the occasional snores of its inhabitants.
Meng had fittingly curled up like a dog near the fire, her spotted face poking out of a heavy bundle of blankets. Julie reclined motionlessly in an armchair, her eyes dark and her back plugged into an outlet. Raggs had vanished inside her oversized black witch’s hat, promising to return the next day with new toys to mess around with.
Only two residents remained awake. Nestled in their pastel sleeping bags, the two huddled conspiratorially close to each other and spoke barely above a whisper, hoping not to disturb the dog girl near them.
“…You’re joking,” Carol said, trying not to giggle. “That’s not even a question, Blubby. You know the answer already.”
“But I’m serious!” Prince Blueberry desperately schooled his features, hoping not to fall for the same infectious laughter as his friend. “If we were on a deserted island, would you eat me?”
For anyone else, it would have been an absurd question asked for laughs. Granted, Carol’s dearest friend was made of blueberry candy, but that didn’t mean she would imagine eating him! That was, like…not cannibalism, but still bad!
“How would we even be on a deserted island? Did we fall out of the sky or something?”
Blueberry pursed his lips, apparently giving her concerns serious thought. “…Yeah, that would be it. We fell off the edge of Marshmalott. You were holding onto me-”
“-Of course you’d imagine that-”
A red blush quickly decorated his bright blue features. “-You were holding onto me, because that’s what friends are for, and you opened your umbrella to slow our fall. We fell onto an island with no one else there. Now, if all that happened, would you eat me?”
Carol’s freckled cheeks scrunched up in annoyance. Was he still taking such a silly question seriously? Just because other people preyed on candy people didn’t mean she would!
“I mean, if it’s a tropical island, there would have to be palm trees with coconuts, pineapples, plantains-”
“-None of that,” he cut in, “Just sand as far as the eye can see. There would be no food and no hope of rescue. Would you do it?”
Carol tried picturing the scenario in her head. The idea of good ol’ Blubby clinging to her while they fell, the poor guy probably screaming his head off while they kept the umbrella steady, did make her smile. However, what happened afterward would really depend. She wondered if he was trying to make some sort of point.
Rustling around in her pink sleeping bag, she pulled out the rabbit plushy she’d fought so hard to reclaim. Bunbun was a little faded and worn-down, but he helped her sleep soundly all the same. Maybe hugging him would help her think out the problem?
If nothing else, she owed it to Blueberry to take his question seriously.
“If I have my umbrella, do I have my guns? I could try catching fish or, I dunno, shooting them in the water and grabbing them later. Maybe I could nail a bird or two with a Vintage Rifle.”
“Nope! No guns. Just the umbrella.” Blueberry shifted in place, apparently crossing his arms over his chest. “What now, Carol? Would you take a bite out of me?”
“…I’d find another way to get through it. I’d glide to rescue with the umbrella or find some other way to get us both out. It wouldn’t come to that.”
Quiet returned to the cabin, though it carried an uneasy weight. Carol’s eyes wandered around the living room, stopping at each landmark she’d find. The stockings, empty mugs of hot chocolate, and decorated tree gave the place such a warm, cozy atmosphere. It was surreal that Blueberry wanted to talk about life-or-death situations on such a peaceful night.
Meng’s snoring intensified, and Blueberry’s features gradually shifted into worry. His hands pressed something closer against his chest, as if to stop himself from shivering.
“What if you had no easy way out?” he bluntly asked her. “What if you had to choose between me and Bunbun, or me and Julie, or me and Meng? What if there was a fire, and you only had time to save Raggs or me?”
Carol couldn’t hide her own concern any longer. The topic had strayed pretty far from the initial silly idea. Blueberry…sounded scared, like there was something he wanted to know but was too afraid to directly asked.
The two had placed their sleeping bags nearly side-by-side, making it easy for Carol to reach into his. She felt around for his hand, squeezing it gently to reassure him. He lowered his eyes at the kind gesture, no longer meeting her gaze.
“What’s all this about, Blubby?” she quietly said. “If you’re worried about something, or if anything’s scaring you…you can talk to me, you know? That’s what besties are for.”
Blueberry hesitated to speak, starting and stopping himself a few times. One of his hands messed with his pajamas’ collar. He seemed to struggle with putting his worries into words.
“…Synistrus chose his Order of Shadows over my family. Aeon chose the Corporation over me, too. People who mean a lot to me keep pushing me aside for other things. It’s…just…”
He rolled over in his sleeping bag, turning his back to Carol. Her heart ached a little at the way he shivered, curling into himself.
“…Is that going to happen with everyone else in my life? I’m scared, Carol. I don’t want to lose anyone else, especially if it’s my fault. I don’t want to lose…”
He buried his head into his pillow, but she could still hear what he said next clearly.
“…I don’t wanna lose you, too, Carol…”
Hearing the confession made her wince sympathetically. All at once, she got it. It had been easy to forget just how many people in Blueberry’s life had misled him. Things had been looking up for him since the Nightmare had been dealt with, but that hadn’t erased what he’d been through. The poor guy was probably waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for some other person he cared about to stab him in the back.
The thought got Carol hugging Bunbun tighter. Her time in Crearia had mostly been a fantastical adventure, but that hadn’t meant there hadn’t been dour points in it. Aside from that brief stint at the Corpotower, Blueberry had been a ride-or-die friend. He didn’t deserve to be so worried!
“…Hey, Blubby?” Carol gently asked him. “Scooch over a bit.”
His head lifted from the pillow. “Why? What are you-”
With shocking speed, Carol hopped from her sleeping bag to Blueberry’s, taking Bunbun with her as she slid inside. While she savored its cushy warmth, the candy prince stammered and sputtered, spinning to face her all red and embarrassed.
“C-Carol!” he squeaked. “You shouldn’t be here! That’s…it’s not proper!”
It had been obscured by his sleeping bag, but Carol could clearly see that Blubby had been holding something close. Clutched against his chest was an adorable knit doll, depicting none other than Carol herself in her signature pink pajamas. It looked homemade, like something he would have put together himself.
Suddenly, Blueberry wasn’t the only one blushing. It was hard not to feel all warm and fuzzy at the sight of something like that, especially when a very important boy was holding it like it was his most valued treasure. She tried to keep her voice from wavering as she spoke.
“No! You need to know your friends are never going to abandon you. You’re going to be okay, Blubby, and I’m gonna hammer that home until you believe it yourself!”
“Carol…” he murmured, visibly stunned by her declaration.
If she waited any longer, she would probably hesitate to do what was necessary. Carol closed her eyes and glomped Blueberry, pressing Bunbun against his back and squeezing his sides tightly. The candy prince barely held back a surprised gasp when the aggressive hug arrived, narrowly avoiding any awkward conversations with an awakened Meng.
Carol’s chin was firmly planted on his pajama’s shoulder, and her head rested against his. He felt so soft and inviting and comfortable and…her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Part of her was freaked out by the feeling, but it was drowned out by a louder part that demanded she keep hugging him.
Blueberry’s slow, shaky breaths rattled Carol in turn. She felt his arms slink around her and, gradually, return her embrace. He didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands, judging by the way he awkwardly felt around for somewhere on her back to rest them.
Step one was accomplished. Step two…well, it didn’t exist. Carol had been winging it. She just wanted Blueberry to feel better about himself! The hug seemed to be working, but maybe it was a little too effective. She didn’t want to let go of him.
She tried not to think about how nice he smelled, how good it felt to hold him close, or the fact he apparently cuddled with a doll version of her to sleep. Those thoughts raised questions she wasn’t sure she was ready to answer, even if they were tempting to unravel.
“Carol…thanks for this.”
Wet spots appeared where Blueberry’s chin met her shoulder. She didn’t miss how watery his voice sounded when he spoke.
“I know it was silly to ask those questions, but I was more scared than I wanted to admit. Well, not anymore. You’re here. You’re more loyal than anyone I know.”
Again, she wasn’t going to count that time in the Corpotower, given how brief it had been and how quickly he had gone back to helping her. If she could work with Umbra and everyone else behind Bunbun’s theft, she could let bygones be bygones for her bestie.
“Same for you, Blubby. I’ll always have your back, no matter what.”
Seconds turned to minutes. It was becoming clear that neither of the two were eager to break off the hug. Carol naturally relaxed into his arms, being soothed to sleep by the sounds of his relaxed breathing. She told herself he was just too comfortable to get away from, and that friends hugged each other all the time.
The low howl of the wind outside, the occasional crackle of the fireplace, and the presence of Bunbun all worked in tandem to lull Carol into sleep. The shared hug with Blueberry only intensified her descent into slumber.
Half-asleep, she struggled to put her thoughts together. A nagging question wouldn’t leave her mind, one that she didn’t mind asking.
“…Blubby? You still up?”
“Barely. What’s…what do you need?”
“The doll you’ve got…did you make it or something?”
As if unconsciously, Blueberry’s hands began to rub slow circles onto her back. If she had been blushing before, the gesture was enough to turn her face beet-red.
“…Yeah…I like it a lot.” He yawned loudly, talking more sluggishly with each comment. “I like…you…a lot. When you…go back to your world…I keep her around. She helps me remember. When I…have her out…I know you’ll come back…eventually…”
His last word trailed off into a subdued snore. Blueberry’s bright yellow eyes shut, and his breaths fell into the rhythm of a peaceful nap. Sleep had taken him from her embrace into its own.
If Carol was a tea kettle, steam would have been shooting out of her ears. Blueberry’s sleepy confession unearthed all sorts of strange feelings that made her chest warm. Maybe that was why she couldn’t break the embrace long after it had achieved its mission?
She moved her head back slightly to get a better look at her best friend. The soft features and long blue hair made him look all the part of a prince. Funny to think they’d met in such a mundane way, playing games to pass time at the Glacier. She hadn’t expected to keep crossing paths with him, or for him to go from “kind stranger” to “guy she’d trust with her life.”
Even with his duties in Marshmalott, he still found time to be around her. She doubted he’d do that for just about anyone.
There were a lot of things to sort out about Blueberry. However, his sleeping bag was too comfy, his arms were too cozy, and the cabin was too tranquil. Dwelling on her problems could wait, but snoozing took priority.
Placing her head on his shoulder again, she allowed her eyelids to fall. The haze of sleep loosened her lips enough for a couple more comments to escape.
“…I like you a lot, too,” Carol mumbled to him, almost too shy to admit it aloud. “Thanks for being here, Blubby.”
Carol could have sworn his lips curled into a faint smile before she dozed off. It had probably been a trick of her eyes, anyway.
There would be more adventures and excitement the next day. For Carol and her dearest friend, the time spent together had to be savored. They had each other, and neither were in a rush to abandon one another.
If they woke up to some light teasing from Meng in the morning? So be it. Carol would brush it off and play it cool, simply saying she had helped a friend in need. Maybe she’d jokingly throw Blubby under the bus and say he couldn’t sleep otherwise. Maybe. Only if she was feeling especially impish!
After all, she wouldn’t be in Crearia forever, so she had to have her fun while she could. She’d eventually return home to the lights of Paris. It’s not like her world was bad or anything! It was just…less magical than a place with actual dragons and such.
It wouldn’t be permanent, though! Middle school might have been a drag, but it hadn’t been the end of the world for her so far. In time, she would wake up in Chroma Falls once again. In time, she’d reunite with Julie and her other friends.
In time, she’d cross paths with Blueberry again. With any luck, he would know in his heart that she would always have his back.
That’s what best friends – or whatever they could call themselves, Carol wasn’t too sure anymore – were for!