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It was fun at the start. Sunny had danced as hard as she could. She sung along to the music. Something about 'the parents being gone' and 'big fun', she couldn't remember right now. She had her first drink. It tasted awful, but the thought of doing such a thing at her age was a bit of a rush.
It was all super fun.
...Until the fights broke out. She narrowly avoided being caught in the middle of one. Until the music became too loud. She wasn't sensitive to sound, but she hated how it made her petals buzz. Until she stumbled into rooms of drunk, naked teenagers. Her petals covered her face and she'd slammed the door, not daring to stick around and confirm her suspicions. Until the lights became too bright. The flashing was giving her a mean headache.
Until she started getting hit on and earning predatory stares. They kept coaxing her to 'have another drink'. Until some unwanted guests showed up. More fights, more bodies, more problems. Until the 'hardcore stuff' hit the table. Weren't they just kids? How did they get that stuff!? Until she couldn't find Katy. She was her ride here and back. And she didn't want to wade through any of her inebriated peers and risk a confrontation.
Sunny curled herself into a corner. Literally. She sat in a random corner, as far away from everyone as she could be. Her knees tucked close to her chest and her petals drooped over her face, shielding her eyes from the strobing lights. Her chest felt heavy as she heaved. She was desperate to take in any fresh air around her. Anything not swallowed up and spat out by drunk teens who were worse here than at school... Anything but this. Anything.
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*pat pat pat pat*
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The sound of footsteps made Sunny's petals open instinctively. Someone was coming, and quick. Her eyes strained against the lights, trying to see oncoming person walking near her. She hoped it was someone familiar walking by. If they saw her, she could get out of here and never look back. The only people she came here with were Katy, Paula, and...
A small mouse stomped into her line of sight. Her features were scrunched up with anger as she passed by. That's right! Ma-san was with them. She's the strongest out of all four of them. She could help her, right? Sunny tried to speak, but the music drowned out her words as soon as they escaped. This caused Ma-san to walk past her, merely giving her a passing glance. Before she continued, she stopped and did a double-take.
Thankfully for Sunny, the mouse walked up to her. Ma-san spoke, head tilting as she looked at Sunny. Her gibberish was also swept into the booming bass of whatever was playing. Sunny just looked at her, her body shivered in place. Ma-san stared at the flower, her face slightly softened at the state of her. She turned her head and stared for a moment. Then she placed her large hand on Sunny's, gently tugging at it. She was leading her somewhere. Hopefully, out of here.
Sunny kept her head down as she walked, only focusing on the small mouse guiding her. Her petals curled in further as she desperately tuned out the chaos around her. She ignored the annoyed and venomous insults. She ignored the catcalling. She ignored the screaming... she shut her eyes tight. And after a while, the chaos went quiet. Now, all she heard were crickets.
She took in a deep breath and her eyes shot open. She was outside. Standing on the front porch and staring at the night sky. Each breath she took was now fresh and clean. Her eyes didn't burn under artificial lighting. And the mouse that led her shut the door, leaving the mess inside and them outside. "(Better?)" The smaller girl asked. She could hear her now. "...Better. " Sunny answered with a sigh.
Sunny stepped down from the porch and walked off. She shuffled over to the unkempt lawn with the mouse following in turn. Without thinking, she plopped down into the grass and felt onto her back, gaining a surprised squeak out of Ma-san. Sunny stared into the dark, starry void above them, while Ma-san looked down at her. This was better. Way better. But, her chest still felt heavy, even though she had clean air. Was it something she ate? The only thing she remembered eating was an off-tasting brownie...
....oh....
She shouldn't have eaten anything here...
"Hey..." Sunny muttered out. It was quiet, but not quiet enough to not be heard. Ma-san tilted her head again, in a nonverbal acknowledgement. "...how did....you know...?" Sunny didn't finish her sentence. She was too busy suffering from the consequences of eating at another person's house. "(You seemed overwhelmed; you needed some fresh air.)" The mouse answered with a shrug. "(That's why I'm out here. Party's too much for me either.)"
Sunny just eyed her. Despite the cool air, her body was on fire. And her swimming mind didn't help the situation either...Had Ma-san always looked so... cute? Her mousey features made her heart thunder in her chest, Her brown, beady eyes reminded Sunny of the small animals she'd talk to in her garden, her soft looking fur... Absentmindedly, her hand dragged up from the grass and made home on the mouse's cheek. The short fur weaved cleanly in-between her fingers.
Sunny kept her eyes glued onto Ma-san's flushed face, unable to tell if it was the alcohol or the embarrassment making her so red. It took her a while for her mind to catch up with her body. Before she could register what she was doing, Ma-san leaned into her hand, her large, strong hands wrapped gently around her arm. At least she wasn't the only one out of her mind.
Sunny watched as the mouse lowered herself to the ground and laid on top of her. She watched as the mouse snuggled into hand and chest, her body went still after a while. There was silence between the two. Nothing but them, the stars, and the sounds of the night. Even with all of that, Sunny still felt on fire. As warm as the sun. Was it the brownie she ate or the position her and Ma-san were in? Speaking of which, her eyes dragged down to her torso.
Ma-san laid peacefully on the flower. Her eyes were closed; Her breathing slow and gentle. She wasn't asleep, was she? She hoped not... it was adorable she'll admit, but she couldn't relax in someone else's lawn. She could sleep in her own lawn.... when she got home. But here...? The grass wasn't familiar to her. She didn't feel safe...
Sunny's hand went limp and fell into the grass. After a few seconds, Ma-san's eyes fluttered open. The two shared gazes for a moment. The tired look the mouse had only made her cuter. After a while, Sunny strained out one word "...home." Ma-san's ears perked up. She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked at her. "(I know where Katy is...)" She chirped softly. "(She's still in the house, though.)" "...please..." was all Sunny could get out.
The journey back into the house was a blur. She was shocked stiff by the lights and noises. But after a moment, she moved. Not on her own. Sunny kept her hand wrapped around Ma-san's for extra support. That was the only thing she focused on. The softness of her fur, the strength under that fur, the gentle tugs that led her, the way her large hand enveloped her own...
After a while, she heard Katy's voice and leaned into her. She muttered something to her, but she couldn't remember what. She remembered the car ride. The calm, peaceful drive home was just what she needed. She felt her eyelids droop. She could sleep right now... the last thing she remembered was laying in her garden, and holding onto one of the forest animals before drifting off to sleep.
The warm rays of the sun woke Sunny out of her drowsy slumber. She groaned softly as hint of sickness slowly creeped up in her. She ran her hand through the grass. She recognized this feeling. She was home. She was safe. And with an animal friend to keep her company. As she hugged them, something hard hit her face, knocking some of her sleepiness away. Sunny pryed open one of her eyes and stared.
A red stick greeted her. Not just any stick.... a dynamite stick. Sunny's eyes shot open and she looked down. A small animal with golden yellow fur also greeted her. Familiar golden yellow fur. A familiar small animal. That's when it hit her. She and Ma-San were sleeping outside. Together.
...And yet...she didn't mind it. She didn't push away or woke up the sleeping mouse. In fact, she curled closer and stroked her fur. Ma-san stirred a bit, then scooted closer to the flower, her strong arms wrapped gently around Sunny's midsection. The same warmth Sunny felt last night sprung up in her chest. Her body wasn't burning like before, but she still felt warm.
A small smile crept onto the flower's face. She was home and safe, in her garden, and holding onto the one that helped her get back home... She had to find a way to thank Ma-san once she woke up. But for right now, she still felt her eyelids grow heavy. She could sleep in a few more minutes. She could worry about everything else later...