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Teto rounded the corner, pulling her hood down to conceal more of her face. Even though she had already quit the idol position, it was still quite easy for her to be recognised by her fans.
She checked her phone when she felt a buzz through her hoodie pocket, lifting it up meet a notification from her calender, one for her, Momo and Defoko's debut anniversary. She looked at the message with a bitter smile, dismissing it and placing the device back into the pocket.
She rounded another corner as she sighed. She missed her friends, she really did, but she didn't know if they would forgive her abrupt choice to leave their music trio. She passed a flyer, paused, and walked back.
She eyed the pamphlet, bright pinks and purples decorated the paper, the center of attention being two familiar faces — Defoko and Momo. Giant text decorated the bottom, notifying passersby of the event.
Teto unstuck the flyer from the wall, a soft grin stretching on her face.
"A concert, huh?"
Momo looked in the mirror, adjusting any parts of her outfits that were skewed. She tried to encourage herself, this was her first concert so she couldn't afford to mess it up.
"Okay Momo! You've got this!" She slapped her cheeks.
"I think that's enough, if you slap yourself more, you're gonna have cheeks as bright as the stage lights," Defoko stepped out of the dressing room in her gray dress with violet accents, wine purple beret nestled in her hair. Her silver headphones shone in the light, giving it a mechanical look.
"Alright alright, I'm just… nervous," she flapped her hands, trying to get rid of the tingling feeling that decided to make itself known. Defoko closed her hands around Momo's, enveloping her jittery hands in warmth.
"I know you're anxious about this, but I know you'll do well," Defoko leaned in and pressed a light kiss on her lips, pulling back right after and grinning at the other. "Now come on, we've got some fans to entertain,"
Momo nodded with vigor, excitement rushing through her wires. Her hands escaped Defoko's clutches, moving to flatten down her hair before running out the door.
The stage lights immediately targeted them both when they stepped onto the stage, their boots clicking against the floor. A sea of light sticks waved from the crowd, all in bright magenta and amethyst.
"Hello everyone!!!" Cheers erupted from the crowd as Momo greeted them through the microphone. "It's so good to see you all!!" She waved her hand, the bright ocean of lights following along.
"We're so happy to see you all here today," Defoko took the microphone from her hand, addressing the crowd. "This is a very special event for us, I hope you will all enjoy this concert!"
The lights went dark, and they stepped into their proper positions before the spotlights flickered on. They didn't have many original songs yet so they compromised with covers, they sang as memorized, dancing and twirling along the beat.
Momo looked out into the crowd, scanning each face and expression. Many held smiles of joy. Joy for their idols finally moving onto the stage. Joy for being able to attend the event.
All went well until her eyes locked into a hooded figure. Despite the entire event hall being cloaked in darkness, she could make out the red hair peeking out from under the figure's hood, their eyes glowed a soft red— though it looked yellow at times. Momo stumbled just a tiny bit, not enough to be registered but that figure flinched, eyes widening and flicking sideways as if afraid something would happen. Momo continued her performance, but her eyes would involuntarily stray back to that figure, one she believed she recognised.
Could it be…?
Momo stumbled into the backstage when the concert ended, disbelief still clouding her face.
"Momo? Is everything alright?" Defoko walked up to her, cupping her cheeks with her hand.
"I-I… I thought I saw… h-her," she stuttered, leaning against the desk. Her eyes wandered to the photo stand, a picture of her, Defoko and… Teto.
"You saw…" Defoko's eyes followed her gaze, landing on the picture. "You saw Teto?"
"I think s-so…" Momo tried shake off the static like feeling that decided to embed itself into her legs. "I saw her red hair and… and her eyes…"
"Maybe we can find her around the venue? It's only been a sec," Defoko took down two hoodies from the clothes hanger, handing one to her girlfriend.
"I… wouldn't be opposed," Momo took one of the hoodies, immediately changing out of her performance outfit and into the hoodie.
They quickly ran out the backstage, making their way into the main lobby and looking around. Momo searched the remaining people in the space, trying to find the one she thought was her old friend. Her eyes scanned the lobby, trying to catch a glimpse of her. She eventually locked onto a light grey hoodie, strange bumps on the back as if something were jutting out.
She gestured to Defoko who nodded in response. They slowly walked towards the hooded figure, acting as if they were simply walking past. When they got closer to the figure, they perked up, looking in their direction.
"…" They stayed quiet, as if contemplating a response before they sighed and called out. "You guys know I can still recognize you two by scent, right?" They took off the hood, revealing a face they hadn't seen in years.
"Teto!" Momo immediately lunged forwards, capturing the chimera in a hug. Defoko walked towards them, placing a hand on Teto's head.
"Momo and I missed you," Defoko took off her beret and set it on Teto's red hair, looking at her with a serious face. "Momo cried for a whole day when you left."
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry for leaving you two like that! Can… can I make it up to you somehow?"
"You can make it up by telling us where you've been these few years," the purple haired singer shook her head, a disapproving glare pointed at Teto.
"Shall we head to my house then? I think it'll be more comfortable there,"
"I don't see why not, lead the way," Momo smiled.
Defoko shook off her shoes as she stepped into the threshold of Teto's house. The house itself wasn't anything special, what caught her attention however, was the crackling static of an old CRT TV situated in the living room.
"Hey, Teto, I think you left the TV on,"
"Huh? Oh, she's just a little shy," the chimera walked over to the TV, knocking on its screen. "Come on Miku, they're not gonna hurt you," Defoko thought Teto had gone crazy, talking to a TV.
The static cleared, a bright red background in its place. A head of teal hair peeked out from the bottom, twin tails on either side of their head.
"Trust me, she looks mean, but she's a total softie," Teto whispered to the newcomer. Defoko would have missed it if it weren't for her sensitive sound sensors.
"What's she doing?" Momo peeked over her shoulder, staring at the chimera and the CRT TV.
"No idea," she shrugged, lifting a hand to pat Momo's hair.
The figure in the TV eventually showed their face, a nervous smile pointed towards them. "Hey! I'm uh… Miku!" She waved, looking towards Teto for instructions.
"Don't worry about her, no one else has really seen her yet," Teto took off the hoodie, leaving her in baggy cargo pants and a white t-shirt. Her wings stretched to her sides, tail uncurling and swinging by her legs. "You guys can settle down a little, chat with Miku if you want, I'll be in my room changing," she ascended the stairs.
"So… you two were in the same music group as Teto, huh?" Miku asked the two android's, uncertainty coating her words.
"Technically it's the other way around, she was in the same group as us then she left for the bigger scene," Defoko pulled Momo to the sofa. "Can't exactly blame her, it was a big opportunity,"
"But… she ended up quitting, didn't she?" Momo asked as she tilted her head to the side.
"She did, because it had a really negative impact on her mental state," Miku bowed her head, as if ashamed.
"Negative impact?" Defoko raised an eyebrow. "Could you elaborate?"
"I don't think it's my place to tell you what happened during her idol times, it's up to her to reveal such events," Miku pulled a leek from off screen, taking a bite into the vegetable.
Defoko hummed, her mind drifting back to the chimera. She had never been very vocal about her struggles, she was quite stubborn. Defoko remembered when she and Momo had to essentially interrogate her to figure out why she tended to disappear for days at a time — that was how they found out about Teto's chimera nature.
"How did you and Teto meet?" Momo piped up, arms wrapping around a pillow that she grabbed from the couch.
"It wasn't the best first meeting… she had come back from a rehearsal and wasn't doing so good and turned on the TV and switched it to my channel. I saw her in a bad state and wanted to help. It just went on from there," she shrugged.
"I see…"
"If you want to talk about my idol days, I don't mind," Momo and Defoko visibly jumped. They forgot that Teto had such light steps.
They turned around, eyes locking onto the chimera. Her eyes glowed a soft pink, one pupil slitted while the other took an oblong shape. The horns on her head were a dark mahogany, curled downwards not unlike a ram's. Her previously human feet were replaced with an equine's hooves, clicking against the ground with every step.
"That's a new look," Defoko mused as Teto shuffled over to the couch, flopping down on the plush leather seat.
"Yeah, wanted to try something more… animalistic. Thought it might help conserve my energy while still being able to fit in my home," she flexed her fingers, claws sliding out from under her nails for a second before it retracted back into the skin.
Defoko shuddered. She wasn't human but she still had touch and pain receptors, she couldn't imagine the sensation of keratin sliding under her flesh, synthetic or not.
Teto noticed, quickly tucking her hands under her thighs. "Sorry, forgot you guys have sensitive receptors," she looked away, seeming bashful. Her tail wrapped firmly against her waist, like a belt of thick scales.
"Don't worry about it. We haven't seen each other in years, it's only natural to forget a few things here and there," Momo sandwiched the chimera's hands between her own, tone softening.
A meow broke through the atmosphere, catching everyone's attention. A Bengal cat stood by the stairs, staring right at the group.
Momo gasped. "You have a cat!!???" She rushed forwards to coddle the tiny feline.
"Where have you been you little rascal?" Teto kneeled down and chastised the cat, growling in frustration. "But she's not my cat, she's my girlfriend's. The cat's name is Coffee,"
"You have a girlfriend!?" Defoko's head snapped towards the chimera. Sure, she knew Teto liked girls but she never expected her to have a partner.
Teto chuckled, as if she expected that reaction. "Yeah, she works at the flower shop, she's just lovely," she spoke with an endearing tone, Defoko could almost see the hearts in her eyes.
"I can tell you love her very much,"
"I have to say the same for you and Momo. I knew you two liked each other, but I really am glad you guys got together," she gestured towards the pink haired android whom was still playing with the Bengal.
Defoko watched her girlfriend with loving eyes. She really did love her, she hadn't understood the concept of love until she explored it with Momo. It started as a purely experimental relationship, then it evolved into something much more.
"And… I'm really sorry, for leaving you two like that," Teto apologized in a low tone, eyes cast to the floor.
She took a while to understand why she was that upset, then it clicked, they never left on good terms. Even when Teto joined the idol scene, they had still kept contact early on. They had, however, noticed a change in Teto. She started getting easily irritated, yet at the same time she seemed drained. Their separation happened because of Teto suddenly snapping at the two of them and cutting contact. Looking back at it, Defoko should have noticed the signs of depression.
"I accept your apology, and I understand why you acted the way you did. All that matters is that you realize your actions and take responsibility, or apologize," Defoko smiled, scooting over and placing a hand on her head.
"Are we still…friends?" Teto looked up hesitantly, tail curling and uncurling in uncertainty.
"Of course," she huffed, rubbing and messing the chimera's red hair up. Teto growled but still giggled at the interaction. She leaned in for a hug, wrapping her wings around the android.
"Hey! Don't leave me out of the hug!" Momo waltzed over, cradling Coffee in her arms. Teto lifted up one of her wings, letting the pink haired android tuck under the leathery limb and into the hug.
"Thank you guys," Teto purred.