Sugar and Spice

After several heated games of Pictionary in which Mitty and Ace temporarily channelled the greatest painters on Vistus, the group retired to a quiet corner of the room to wind down.

"Mitty, I had no idea you were such a good artist!" Alexis gushed as she sat down on the chair beside her friend.

Mitty rolled her eyes. "I'm not that good."

"Nonsense, you blew my little sketches out of the water," said Ace, leaning back in his chair, cupcake in hand. "You are a lady of many talents."

"You're hilarious.”

Alexis snickered, her heart leaping with good cheer. "Oh, she is! She's just too humble to admit it."

"Alexis!" Mitty protested.

"What?" Alexis wagged her tail.

"Take that back this instant."

"No. I can't lie, Mitty. Lying is bad."

Mitty tugged at Alexis' scarf, causing her to squeak. "Don't sass me."

"I'll sass you all I want." Alexis felt red hot excitement coursing through her body and bubbling in her stomach as her words tumbled out without a care.

Mitty leaned in with a frown, giving the best glare she could manage, her eyebrows twitching. "Wanna say that again?"

Alexis' eyes fell on Mitty's lips, but she quickly looked up to meet her teal eyes, suddenly close enough to see the rivers of ice that flowed through them. Alexis' heart skipped a beat, and her mouth dried up.

"Not that I want to interrupt your flirting," said Kyra, "but I think I know what to play next."

The ice broke, and Alexis whipped her head round so fast her neck cracked.

"Excuse me?" Mitty spluttered, her face matching Kyra's in colour. "We weren't--we--no!"

"No?" Kyra said.

"No!" Alexis protested, desperately wishing her scarf could cover her face. "No, we weren't… flirting." Something about that word made her want to hide under the floorboards.

"Oh? My mistake, then." Kyra smiled.

"Yes, your mistake," Mitty mumbled, and when she met Alexis' eye the both of them looked away instantly.

"Are you two okay?" Gui asked, nibbling on a cupcake.

"Fine!" Alexis squeaked. "Just fine."

"Are you sure?"

Ace chuckled. "My dear brother, it seems a button has been pushed. I think it's best we move on." He smiled slyly.

Gui frowned, blinked, then… Oh no, don't widen your eyes, stop it, you didn't see anything! "Okay!" he chirped, smiled, and all at once, Alexis felt the floor swallow her.

Do they all know? She bit her lip. How can they know? We just met! Unless… Her eyes slowly fell on Mitty's tense form, the girl's arms hugging the container to her stomach. Her face had yet to return to its white hue, and her tail tip was twitching erratically. She refused to look up from the floor. There was a chance, right? Or...

No, I'm overthinking it, as usual. Alexis dismissed any silly notions before they could spring up. Mitty's just embarrassed by any teasing. There was a sour taste in her mouth.

"So what game do you have in mind, Kyra?" Ace asked.

"Well, it's a bit cliché, but it is a party staple," said Kyra. "How about truth or dare?"

Oh, you are kidding me. 

"Ooh, that could be fun!" Gui said.

"Yeah, no." Mitty glared at Kyra. "I know this is just an excuse for you to be nosy."

Kyra sighed. "I mean… you don't have to answer anything you don't want to. You can just do a dare instead."

Mitty kept up her glare for a second longer before clutching her sleeve. "Fine."

"Fine?" Alexis squeaked. Mitty, are you like, okay? Did you hit your head on an oven?

"Oh, I am the king of truth or dare," said Ace, straightening his posture. "There is nothing I cannot do, and nothing I will not say!"

"That's nothing to be proud of," Gui muttered.

"So who wants to go first?" Kyra asked.

“I think you should, since you suggested it,” said Mitty.

Kyra straightened her glasses. “All right.”

The group all leaned forward in their chairs, creating a closed circle hidden from the rest of the party. Alexis felt giddy to be part of it.

“So, Kyra, truth or dare?” Ace asked.

“Truth.”

Everyone exchanged glances, then Ace nodded. “What is the most foolish thing you have ever done?” he asked.

Kyra rubbed her chin thoughtfully, tilting her head. Her fringe spilled over her eyes, and she blew it back with a huff. “When I was five, my mum was preparing to go to a conference overseas. I didn’t want her to go without me, so…” She cleared her throat. “I hid in her suitcase.”

“What?” Mitty and Alexis gasped.

“How far did you get?” Gui asked.

“Well, I remember being trapped in the dark for quite a while… and when I could finally see again, I was in a hotel room.”

Mitty blinked. “No way.”

“Yes. I made it all the way to Tananshia in that suitcase.”

Mitty and Alexis exchanged perplexed glances. “You’re lying,” said Mitty. “There’s no way she didn’t notice you.”

“I was a very quiet child.”

“How could you even fit in the suitcase?” Alexis asked.

“I was also a very small child.” Kyra blinked. “And the suitcase was massive.”

“Wow…” Alexis breathed.

Kyra smiled, then gestured to Gui sitting on the chair next to her. “Gui, you’re next.”

The mouse swallowed the remainder of his cupcake and wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin. “Okay.” He took a deep breath. “Dare.”

Alexis wondered how lenient the group was. Kyra did not seem evil, and Gui himself seemed too timid to offer up any crazy questions or dares. That just left…

“Let me ask him,” said Ace, “please.”

“No! Wait! Brothers aren’t allowed to pick the dares!” Gui protested.

Kyra chuckled. “There’s nothing in the rules against it.”

Gui hung his head in resignation, groaning.

“I dare you to go up to the whiteboard and draw a--”

“Nope!” Gui shook his head vigorously. “Not doing that.”

“Gui, you wound me! I haven’t even finished my sentence!” Ace put a hand to his chest. “Do you really think I would make you do something indecent?”

Gui shuffled uncomfortably in his chair. “No, but…”

Ace sniffed. “My own brother is wary of me. This is truly a tragic world.” He wiped away a tear that wasn’t there. “Anyway, Gui. I dare you to draw yourself kneeling before me and showering me with praise!”

Gui groaned and rolled his eyes. Without a word, he got up from the chair and made his way past the crowds to the whiteboard. A group was gathered by the board, but there was a free space in the corner for any potential brother-praising doodles.

“And you aren’t allowed to wipe it off!” Ace called after him.

Alexis leaned back in her chair and watched Gui draw a rather crude doodle of a mouse kneeling down in front of a… was that really a Lucive? Gui gave the doodled Lucive a massive circular nose like a ball, bulging, shiny eyes, and the goofiest smile possible. Doodle-Ace looked like something out of a slapstick cartoon.

“Oh, he nailed you,” said Mitty, and Alexis burst into laughter.

Gui left his masterpiece on full display, attracting the attention of various partygoers, who gave him amused glances as he passed them. He sat back down on his chair, a satisfied smirk on his face. “I think I captured your likeness well enough.”

Ace stared, his eyes doing a fairly decent imitation of his doodled counterpart. “Gui… you are indeed a… remarkable artist.”

Alexis giggled behind her hand.

“Ah, you laugh, Alexis, but remember that you are next.”

Alexis stopped giggling.

“Truth or dare, Alexis?” Kyra asked.

Considering the overly-curious gazes of literally everyone present except for Mitty, who just looked firmly at the floor, Alexis knew there was a wrong answer here. “Dare,” she said.

“Oh?” Kyra and Ace glanced at each other. Then they both smiled.

Maybe there was no right answer.

“I dare you…” Kyra hummed, looking from Alexis to Mitty and back again. Alexis was sweating bullets. What did that look mean? What was Kyra going to ask of her? Oh dear, she signed up for hell, didn’t she? There was no getting out of this. She just had to accept her fate, perform whatever embarrassing act was in store for her, then drop out of uni to live in the mountains--

“I dare you to wear Mitty’s jacket for the rest of the game.”

Oh.

“My jacket?” Mitty echoed.

“I can do that!” Alexis blurted out, then bit her lip. Had she sounded too eager? Why was she eager, anyway? It wasn’t like wearing her friend’s warm, Mitty-scented jacket was like getting a hug from her or anything. It was just a piece of clothing.

Mitty glanced at Kyra, frowned, then stood up and set her container on the chair. Not for the first time that night, Alexis’ eyes were drawn to it, and she wondered what was inside. She looked up to see Mitty had removed her jacket, revealing her red and black striped t-shirt underneath. Alexis’ eyes widened as she realised this was the first time she’d ever seen Mitty without her trusted leather jacket, and she… oh come on, why was she blushing over that?

“Here.” Mitty handed her the jacket.

Alexis gingerly took it and put it on with as much nonchalance as she could muster. It was just a jacket, after all. It fit snugly over her grey top, and it was surprisingly soft despite its material. Best of all, it was warm. I’m wearing Mitty’s jacket! I’m wearing Mitty’s jacket! She fought to keep a straight face as she sat in her chair like a subdued puppy.

“You look good in it,” said Kyra. “Doesn’t she, Mitty?”

Mitty shot her a glare as she sat back down. Then she glanced at Alexis, her eyes widening just a fraction before quickly looking away. “S-sure.”

Alexis twiddled her thumbs, fighting her blush.

"Mitty, you're next," said Kyra. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Truth? Alexis stared at her, suddenly tense as a statue. She swallowed.

Kyra glanced down at the tub in Mitty's arms. "What's in that container?"

Alexis sighed, but with relief or disappointment, she wasn’t sure.

Mitty frowned down at the container, hugging it closer. Her fluffy tail bristled before she curled it around the chair leg, and it reluctantly smoothed out. "A g--" she muttered, just as a sudden cheer drowned out her words.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," said Kyra.

Mitty turned her furious gaze on the sources of the noise, but the group behind paid no heed and continued their own game. Mitty grumbled and turned back. "A…" Her voice trailed off, and this time it was too quiet to make out over the general party rumble.

Gui's ears twitched. "A what, sorry?"

"A gift!" Mitty yelled, just as the room went quiet. She froze as the eyes of the room fell on her.

Alexis winced. Oops.

"What?" Mitty stuck her middle finger up at anyone who caught her eye, her fur bristling. The onlookers quickly returned to their chatter and the music reached its chorus again. Once Mitty had successfully deterred the interested parties, she lowered her hand and pressed her tail against the chair leg again.

"Ohhhh." Kyra nodded as if Mitty had not just burst her eardrums. "I see. A gift for who?"

"No, not allowed, I'm only answering one question per round," Mitty growled, "and I'm not answering anything else about this. I don't want to spoil the surprise."

Kyra shrugged, grinning. "Fair enough."

Alexis found herself disappointed once again. It's for someone here. Why else would Mitty keep it a secret? She looked between Kyra and Mitty, noticing a strange smile coming from the rabbit which Mitty replied to with a roll of her eyes. Something had passed between them, something Alexis couldn't decipher.

"She's sweet and cute and that's all I'm saying now let's please stop wasting time and start this quest!"

It hit her like a truck. Maybe it really was Kyra? Was Kyra only teasing them both to throw Alexis off the trail? But Kyra didn't seem the type to hesitate. If she was into Mitty, she would have acted on it by now. Right? But if Mitty's crush really was Kyra, would she be this standoffish towards her?

Ugh, this is so confusing!

Alexis found herself wanting the question to come up now. She'd never ask it herself, but she needed an answer of some kind so she could put these misguided feelings to bed before she dared to let herself believe that maybe, possibly, perhaps--

No.

Alexis swallowed her self-important delusions, and with that, they continued the game. It included such highlights as Ace singing a seven minute song at the top of his lungs and pulling it off splendidly, and Kyra successfully reciting lines from her middle school play while juggling empty cups. Alexis' nerves were taut for the entire game, just waiting for the bomb to drop, but it never did.

They ended the game with Alexis none the wiser about Mitty's true feelings, and suspicious of everyone's avoidance of it. It was the most obvious thing to ask--they were playing truth or dare, for crying out loud--yet it was sidestepped again and again. On the one hand, thank Vacerus her business had not been pried into… on the other, her business hadn't been pried into! If her hand had been forced, maybe she'd have said something, and then she could get rejected and she could move on from this nonsense.

Would I be fine with that?

She didn't have time to ponder on it as Kyra announced the party's end. Nine in the evening might be an early time to finish a party, but they were borrowing a classroom. Alexis stayed behind with Mitty and the others to help clean up and put the chairs and tables back to their normal places. She joined in the banter every so often, trying to push her confusing thoughts out of her head. She should focus on spending time with her new friends, not fussing over a silly infatuation!

A silly infatuation with… Mitty…

"Eep!" Alexis squeaked as the girl in question accidentally bumped into her while moving a chair.

"Oops, sorry, Lexi," said Mitty. Then she froze.

Lexi?

Mitty cleared her throat and sprang into motion like a wind-up toy, zipping past Alexis to deposit the chair.

Alexis stood still with a chair hovering in her grip. She called me Lexi… 

"Alexis?"

She blinked back to reality at Kyra's call. "U-um, yeah?"

"Need some help?"

"No, I'm fine!" she squeaked, her new mantra in recent times. "Just fine! I can do it myself."

Kyra shrugged and continued her clean-up.

Alexis put her chair away, a large smile on her face.

By the time everyone had finished clearing up, almost an hour had passed. And in that time, just talking with everyone, Alexis was the happiest she’d been in ages. To think she’d wanted to stay at home and sulk! She’d been so ready to wallow, too. She had sad music on and everything. But Mitty’s insistence persuaded her otherwise, and she was glad for it.

The group stood outside in the snow, wrapped up in their winter gear. Gui’s massive hat and his thick scarf almost covered his entire face so only his big blue eyes peeked out, which got a snicker out of Alexis.

“Hey, I don’t do well with the cold,” he protested, his voice muffled by the green scarf. It had a peculiar blue flower stitched onto it, giving him a rather cute appearance, as if he didn’t have one already.

To be fair, everyone except for Ace was bundled up in heavy coats and the like. The Lucive was just wearing a regular jacket and a thin scarf. Alexis knew Lucives were hardy when it came to the weather, but she was always surprised to actually see them in action. She found the difference between the two brothers rather amusing, but she wouldn’t say as much. Maybe Gui was sensitive about that sort of thing.

“It was lovely meeting you, Alexis,” said Ace. “I trust we’ll be seeing you again?”

“If we’re seeing Mitty, we’re seeing Alexis,” said Kyra with the grin that she’d worn almost all evening.

Mitty grumbled something under her breath.

“Catch you later, then.” Gui waved with a flick of his thin tail. “Feel free to visit our club any time, Alexis.” He turned to leave, and Ace was quick to follow after a final bow to Alexis and Mitty.

“So.” Kyra watched the brothers go as she spoke. “That wasn’t so bad after all, was it?”

“No,” Mitty muttered. “I guess I should thank you for… the encouragement.”

“Any time.” Kyra smirked. “But also not really. I don’t want to fight, Mitty. I just want you to enjoy yourself.”

“And I appreciate it.” Mitty heaved a great sigh, wisps of vapour trailing from her lips. “But I think I can decide whether I’d enjoy myself.” She clicked her tongue. “Look. I don’t like the way you go about things, but I get it, I guess.” She looked up at the night sky. “I’ll deal.”

“Likewise,” said Kyra, and the two of them exchanged smiles before Kyra adjusted her glasses. “So I’ll see you both later, then. Have a good night.” With that, she too disappeared into the night, leaving Alexis and Mitty alone by the gates.

“What was that about?” Alexis asked, trying not to dig too deep into any implications.

“Nothing important.” Mitty cleared her throat. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

Walk me home? Alexis giggled nervously as all thoughts of Kyra suddenly flew out of her head. Oh my gosh, she’s walking me home. “S-sure!” she chirped.

They walked past the gates, heading for the field leading to Alexis’ apartment. She tried to walk casually beside Mitty, but all she could think about was how close Mitty was; if she veered left just a little more, they would… they’d… Alexis swallowed, trying to think of a conversation topic, anything to push these childish thoughts out of her head, but just opening her mouth suddenly made her throat close up.

Get it together, Lexi! Mitty is your friend!

They plodded on in careful silence, the cold air of the night enveloping them.

Ugh, I’m pathetic. I can’t even talk to my own friend now just cos I have a crush on her. It shouldn’t change anything between us. Alexis glanced at Mitty, noticing how her pink hair bunched up under the hood of her coat to create a frizzy mess, how her nose twitched from the cold breeze, how her thick, fluffy tail stayed close by her legs as if to keep them warm. Dang it, she’s so cute, though.

It was then she noticed it, illuminated by the yellow glow of a lamppost; Mitty was still holding the container.

“Um!” She blurted it out before she realised what she was doing. “Mitty! You forgot to give the container to Kyra!”

Mitty stopped dead. She turned slowly, as though struck by a great lethargy, though her wide eyes showed anything but. “What.”

“The gift, you know!” Alexis gestured wildly to the tub still cradled in Mitty’s arms. “You said it was a gift!”

Mitty stared at her with impossibly huge eyes.

“You know!” Alexis tried again. “The… the…” With every second that passed without Mitty’s response, Alexis lost more steam. “The, um…”

“Alexis.” Mitty blinked. “Did you think this was for Kyra?”

“Um… yes?”

“Don’t fuck with me.” Mitty’s eye twitched. “Did you seriously, honest to Terros, to Freya, and to Vacerus, think that what I am holding in my arms now, and have been holding for some time, is a gift for Kyra Violet?”

Alexis wasn’t sure how to respond. Ah, well. She’d already somehow dug herself into a hole, might as well pick out her coffin. “Yes?”

Mitty blinked once, twice. Opened her mouth to speak; closed it. Blinked some more. Then; “You need new glasses.”

“Wh--hey!” Alexis adjusted her pink glasses self-consciously. “What’s that supposed to mean? I--” Then it hit her. “Oh. Ohhh.”

“Yes, ‘oh’.” Mitty looked away as her brow furrowed.

“Wait, is this…” Alexis hardly dared to believe it. “Is this for me?”

Mitty glared furiously at the snowy ground. “Yes.”

Alexis’ heart skipped a beat. “Can I open it?”

Mitty nodded curtly.

Alexis gingerly took the container from her, as though it were a great treasure. She opened it and gasped. A large cupcake sat inside, decorated with white and yellow frosting designed to look like the face of a birdfolk. Her birdfolk.

“Mitty,” she breathed, “is this… my…?”

“Yeah, it’s your LO character,” Mitty grumbled, eyes still fixed to the ground. “I had some free time waiting for you, so I thought I’d try making something.” Now that her arms were free, she drew them over herself. “I wanted to, um… th-thank you… for everything you’ve done for me.”

Alexis’ breath caught in her throat. “But I haven’t done anything.”

“Don’t make me say it,” Mitty groaned.

“Say what?”

“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you.” Mitty finally frowned up at her.

“No!” Alexis was still trying to process that she’d been given a gift at all, let alone by Mitty, of all people. Mitty, the girl who now stood in front of her with brilliant white fur glowing under the lamppost’s light.

“Fine, then.” Mitty bit her lip. “Alexis. Ever since we became friends, my life’s been a lot, well, a lot happier. Just because you’re in it.” She dug her fingers into her arms. “You’ve made me want to ch--to break out of my…To be better. And I just… want you to know that.”

Alexis could do nothing but stare at the girl fidgeting in front of her, with her frowning face and her bristling tail and her frizzy hair illuminated by the street light, and she knew she’d never seen someone so beautiful in all her life.

A thick blanket of snowy silence lay between them. The street light flickered as a gust of wind whipped up cold snow, then settled as quickly as it came, taking the ghosts of their exhalations with it. It hurt to breathe; Alexis' lungs filled with the chill air of the night, but that was nothing compared to the heaviness in her chest, the tug that drew her to the shivering Fillian girl before her, yet kept her rooted in place all the same.

What was there to say? Gratitude was not enough, would never be enough. She made Mitty's life better? If only Mitty knew. If words would not come, then Alexis just had to push through.

So she lunged forward, kicking up snow in her wake, and wrapped her arms around Mitty, drawing her close. She buried her face in Mitty's chest and shut her eyes to stem the tears, desperate to ease the weight threatening to bury her. She held onto Mitty as though the breeze would carry her away, fingers pressing into the cool nylon of her coat. She felt the uneven rise and fall of Mitty's chest as her breath hitched, and held her tighter still.

"A-Alexis?" she stuttered.

"I should be thanking you," Alexis murmured, her voice muffled by Mitty's coat. "For being there for me, for introducing me to Amni and everyone." She shuddered. "For making me want to try again."

Mitty sighed, and Alexis felt herself enveloped in her friend's embrace. "No problem," she said with a weak chuckle.

"I mean it," Alexis pressed. "You've done so much for me."

Mitty patted her back awkwardly. "I get it."

"No, you don't." Alexis let herself sink into Mitty's arms. "I'm so happy you're in my life. I, I don't… I don't know what I'd..." She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

Mitty's voice was soft as the snow. "I'm not going anywhere."

Alexis wished she could believe it. She held on tighter as her throat closed up, then sniffed as Mitty squeezed her gently in turn.

“You’re so dramatic,” she murmured, her quiet tone one of exasperated amusement.

Alexis could only sniff in response, trying to stop her tears. Despite her longing for the past, she’d never had anything like this in high school. She wasn’t sure how to handle it other than collapsing in a puddle in her friend’s arms. Her… friend’s…

She looked up to see Mitty’s soft teal eyes watching her, and when she met them, something clicked in place. Their faces had been this close on one other occasion, and its recollection caused Alexis’ heart to pound fiercely enough she was sure Mitty could feel it. Mitty’s nose now, just like then, was close enough to touch, if Alexis were to inch her head up just so. If either of them moved, there would be no going back. So neither of them moved.

“Lexi?” Mitty whispered.

There it was; Alexis’ beating heart leapt to her throat, and she could only open her mouth and surrender herself to its whims, to the ache that brimmed in her chest that would not abate; and as she did so, she felt no shame, no trepidation, only a desperate need to reach the girl whose eyes looked down at her with such hesitation and hope.

“I like you, Mitty.”

Mitty stared at her. She stared long and hard, and her breaths were so light, her posture so rigid, she felt like a statue in Alexis’ arms. Snowflakes settled atop her head like tiny birds, and she did not shake them off. After a minute or so of this, she finally blinked, and declared, “What.”

Alexis blushed, unsure whether to smile or grimace. “You heard me,” she said.

“Um.” Mitty cleared her throat. “Uh.” She swallowed. “I…”

Now, Alexis was not good at many things. Even the one thing she excelled at, she’d been shaky with recently. But it came back to her, clear as day, and so sure she was of it, that she could only smile softly and pull away from Mitty’s arms. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you.” She turned away, putting her precious container safe in her bag. “Shall we go? I think we’ve been standing out here long enough.”

“Wait!”

Alexis turned back, still smiling as though to soothe a scared animal. “Yes?”

Mitty glared at the snow, clenching and unclenching her fists. “I…” A moment passed, and she tried again. “I, um…”

“It’s okay.” Alexis tried to calm her nerves. “You can tell me on the way.”

The two of them set off once more, passing the streetlamps and trees until they came upon a field of white, with Alexis’ apartment on the other side. Mitty kept herself behind Alexis, saying nothing, and Alexis did not try to fill the silence for her. She would wait. She trudged through the white carpet, the rhythmic crunch of boots on snow the only sound to be heard in the dark night.

Halfway across the field, with nothing but the white expanse surrounding them, Mitty spoke.

“I like you, too. In that way.”

Though she expected it, that did not stop the sudden lunge of Alexis’ heart or the explosion of heat burning her body. She froze in place, though she wanted desperately to flee, to hide under the covers of her bed and never come out.

But she had to answer. She’d burdened the both of them with this, so she had to see it through to the end. She slowly turned to see Mitty unable to look at anything at all, curled in on herself like a child lost in a snowstorm, and her heart ached at the sight. She wanted to ease Mitty’s worry so badly, to assure her she was never speaking out of turn when she spoke from the heart. She carefully approached Mitty and lay a hand on the girl’s arm.

Mitty still couldn’t look at her.

“Mitty," she soothed.

“Why aren’t you more embarrassed?” Mitty grumbled, and she shivered, though Alexis could tell it wasn’t from the cold.

“Mitty, I am so embarrassed,” she said with a chuckle. “This is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done in my life, and I’ve done a lot of embarrassing things.”

Mitty finally looked at her. “Seriously?”

“What, you know me, is that so surprising?”

“Actually, no. Not really.”

Alexis nodded. “There.”

“But I’d expect you to be like, apologising to me or blabbering some nonsense about how different this all is, or...” Mitty looked away again.

“Is it, though?” Alexis tilted her head. “I mean, it feels right to me. Kind of different, yes, but um, not that much? I don't know.”

“But I didn’t think of you that way for--um, it just kind of snuck up on me, and--ugh!” Mitty groaned. “Can we not talk about this?”

Alexis raised an eyebrow. “Mitty, we have to talk about it.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Do you want us to continue as normal, then?” Alexis asked. “Keep our relationship as is, forget this ever happened?”

Mitty’s tail drooped.

“If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.” Alexis smiled.

Mitty slowly shook her head.

Alexis couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. It was taking everything she had to keep her composure. She worried anything that came out of Mitty's mouth would set her tears off, but she pushed on. "Um, maybe I should say what I want?"

"Okay."

Alexis took a deep breath and begged the dragon deities to give her the strength not to melt into a puddle. "I want… um, that is, I…" Why was this harder than the actual confession? "I w-want to…"

Mitty watched her expectantly.

Oh, this was too much. Why was Mitty looking at her like that? Couldn’t she help her out at all? She knew Alexis was struggling here! Whatever courage she might have had faded, but she couldn't stop now. She kicked the snow and groaned in frustration.

Mitty snickered. "Not that easy, is it?"

"Give me a second!" Alexis rubbed her cheeks. "I can do this." She shook her head to clear it of doubts, praying she would not run away after this, and then looked Mitty dead in the eye and launched the words from her mouth like a rocket; "I want to go on a date with you!"

A gust of wind followed her confession, filling the silence.

Mitty turned away, her head low. Not a sound came out of her mouth.

"Mitty?" Alexis hurried over to her in concern. Had she been too forward? Had she upset Mitty somehow? Maybe she should have let her go first, she should've--

Mitty had covered her face in her hands, her ears pressed against her head. A tiny groan escaped her mouth. Between her fingers, a huge, shaky smile peeked through.

It took everything Alexis had not to laugh. She'd never seen anything so adorable. Poor Mitty, she thought, even though arguably she should be the one in this position. To ease Mitty's embarrassment, she put a hand on the girl's arm, waiting for her to show her face.

"Don't look at me," Mitty muttered, but her smile just made her sound amused.

"Okay." Alexis withdrew her hand and turned away.

"Wait."

Alexis turned back to see Mitty slowly moving her hands from her face and biting her lip to try and get rid of her smile. It didn't work. "Sorry. I'm not used to..." She coughed. "I, um. You know."

"I know." Alexis smiled.

Mitty looked hard at her, but Alexis didn't shrink under the intense gaze. "I'd like that," she muttered, then averted her eyes. "To go on, uh, a date with you, I mean."

Alexis couldn't stop the giddy giggle bubbling in her throat. Her tail wagged vigorously, kicking up its own little gust of wind. This was surely a dream, right? She would wake up any second in her room again, to an unforgiving black ceiling, and all of this would fade away. But as she leapt forward and hugged Mitty again, she felt the Fillian’s shivering body in her arms, and her worries dissipated.

“Alexis, if you keep this up the cupcake’s gonna be ruined.”

“Oh!” Alexis hadn’t even thought about the poor cupcake being tossed around inside the container with each of her movements. She slowly let go of Mitty, keeping her bag close to her. She knew Mitty’s words had only been half an excuse, so she peeked inside to find some of the cupcake’s frosting smeared on the container lid, but otherwise didn’t seem too worse for wear. “It’s okay, not too bad. But I’ll be careful.”

“Good.” Mitty started walking again. “Now let’s hurry up already, I’m freezing out here.”

Alexis snickered at Mitty’s nonchalance, but didn’t draw attention to it. They’d said all they needed to say, and she was probably just as overwhelmed as Mitty by all this. She watched the snowflakes fall upon the white river on which they walked, and thought it best to let it settle for now.

And so they walked back to Alexis’ apartment, keeping close enough that their hands brushed against each other.