there’s a new open cafe on the island that fauna wants to go to. it isn’t that she can’t go. rather, the more she stares at the two seated tables the more she feels like it just isn’t right to go by herself. she thinks about asking their island's representative, but the thought immediately shows pointless as she watches them bounce around, their supplies heavy in their sack. they were always so busy. it made fauna miss the early days when they could just sit with her.
her next thought is prince. the frog was kind enough and fauna had been working on trying to befriend him for months, but like their representative he had a tendency to disappear.
then she remembers her doggy neighbor. she and cherry had been getting along more these days. it wasn’t a rare event to see them taking a walk together or to see cherry seated at her table in her home. beside her in the plaza or at a pond.
“the cafe? sure i’ll go there with ya’.”
fauna grins, “really? i really appreciate this dearie!”
“of course.” cherry laughs, “plus i heard they got tipper makin’ the treats.”
“That's amazing! let’s meet at mine tomorrow morning, alright dearie?”
cherry salutes, “aye aye! it’s a date!” and then she’s off.
it takes fauna all of thirty seconds to process the girl's words. before her whole face poofs red.
“a- a daaaate?
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the whole night is spent with fauna trying to calm her nerves. she tries reading, only to realize her latest novel is an action packed romance. she tries yoga, but cherry’s smile and laughter wreck her focus and she ends up falling flat on her face. more than once.
she even tries to go for a nightly jog.
but she see’s cherry walking out her house with a net in hand and books it half across the island toward the other side of town.
she doesn’t know why she’s freaking out so terribly. cherry obviously meant that their outing was something friendly. and fauna had read before of friends having “dates” as well! this was simply an outing between friends.
but the thought does nothing to lessen the racing of her chest. she feels like she’s being swallowed by anxiety. every thought in her body telling her to make this date perfect. or else cherry would hate her and she’d never see the dog ever, ever again. (which was ridiculous because she was less than a minute's walk away from her house but still…)
it isn’t until she’s looking at raymond that she realizes how completely and utterly screwed she is. raymond who lives on the complete opposite side of the island.
he takes one look at her and grins. the glint in his eyes far too knowing.
she’s too flustered to ask him what his deal was.
she’d get through this if it killed her.
(and at this rate it probably would.)
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the next morning fauna is up before daybreak. that is to say, she barely slept a wink.
she didn’t understand it herself. she was never this nervous to spend time with cherry — in fact she was often excited to take even a bit of the girls' time. they weren’t quite polar opposites, but they weren’t alike either. cherry was loud, she was rambunctious and spoke her mind no problem. she was awfully stubborn at times but still retained her sisterly sweetness.
she worried fauna to no end sometimes with her reckless ideas but it was always an attempt to get fauna riled up. or make her laugh. or a mix of the two — fauna still wasn’t too sure.
the point was, she doesn’t understand why she’s so nervous. and simply because of a bit of phrasing no less.
still, as she gets ready she finds herself struggling with her wardrobe. she’d thought of wearing a simple sweater today, as per usual — but then her mind got to screaming: date, date, date and now she finds herself with three different dresses all with differing colors and cuts and oh god, she’s really overdoing it isn’t she?
cherry was probably going to wear that spider tee she was so attached to. she probably wasn’t even up yet. and here fauna was three hours before her usual time, fretting about what to wear.
she exhales loudly. throwing herself on her mattress to scream — gracefully — into her pillow. this was ridiculous. she was being ridiculous! and she was going to spend the time in the cafe wasted on useless anxieties rather than the delicacies of her fellow islanders.
yeah. this was fine. it was just a hang out — deemed date — with someone she liked. a lot.
nothing nerve-wracking about it.
oh may the stars help her.
───────────────
cherry does not wear her spider tee.
it shouldn’t be as shocking as it is. but fauna finds herself speechless the moment the girl marches out of her house in a sundress — dress — with a matching red ribbon tied to one of her ears.
fauna immediately wishes she could go home and put on her pink dress. but she’d opted for warm colors today. a nice brow with a sun hat that she kept having to hold down against the biting wind.
cherry hugs her as a way of greeting. not sparing a moment before she’s talking, tugging fauna by the wrist.
“— i told milk that i didn’t need a fancy outfit. i was going out with you and you didn’t care if i looked fancy or not. but they insisted on it and well, here i am. do i look weird?” cherry laughs but there’s an edge to it. as though she was asking seriously.
it’s hard for fauna to swallow. “ah — it’s nice?”
cherry’s expression falls. “...oh.”
- no, no she didn’t mean — “you look beautiful!” the words fall from fauna’s lips before she can stop them. “i — er, i mean…” and at the sight of cherry’s grin she can’t help but to choke a little.
“a-anyways. the cafe is near the residential area. i heard milk spent weeks trying to get everything just right.”
“me too! tipper said she and raymond volunteered to handle it while milk worked on their other projects. i’m so proud of them.”
fauna suddenly doesn’t want to talk about them anymore. it isn’t that she disliked milk — it was quite the opposite. she felt forever indebted to the resident for giving her another chance at adventure. rather, cherry grew softer when it came to them. fauna knew the dog admired them, but right now they were together.
“yes, i can’t wait to see what specials they have today on the menu. i hope they have coffee.”
“you should really lay off the coffee fauna, you barely sleep as it is.” cherry scolds.
“as soon as you stop playing games all night.” the deer retorts. heat in her chest rising at the laugh it pulls out.
why had she been so worried in the first place?
this was fine.
───────────────
this was not fine.
the moment they get to the outdoor cafe fauna catches sight of the flowers on the tables and feels like all the moisture on her tongue has decided this moment to evaporate.
raymond is there. and he’s smiling — again, eyeing the hold cherry still had on her wrist with mischief.
“a table for two correct?”
cherry snorts, “there’s only tables for two ray.”
“yes well, it’s only polite to ask.”
and fauna was not a lady of violence. but she could tell when she was being teased. she glares the best she can without cherry noticing. which only sparks laughter in the useless cat. “right this way ladies.”
they’re seated and given a menu. the first thing fauna notices are the heart placemats. they were the only ones who had them. but when she looks at raymond he offers nothing. only tells them to take their time as he goes off to assist others.
cherry squirms in her seat. not unusual, but fauna still finds herself worrying anyways.
“are you alright dearie?”
“huh?” her eyes snap up, “oh, yeah. yeah, i just — i was thinking we could order the apple pie.”
fauna narrows her eyes, now she was definitely worried. “you said last week that you were tired of apples.”
“i…may have. but i’ve changed my tune since then.”
“cherry it was two days ago.”
“i had a dream.”
that actually shocks a laugh out of fauna. “you had a dream so you gave up your apple strike?”
“uh…yes?”
“only you dearie, only you.”
after that the unnamed tension seems to ease. only spiking slightly when raymond comes back to take their order and brings them heart shaped cookies. (fauna would have to have a talk with him later. one that involved a towel and running.)
“— and i know it’s probably out there, but i was thinking about getting a vacation home. not that this place doesn’t feel like a vacation sometimes.”
fauna shakes her head. she understood. as much as she loved melancholi, she saw a certain appeal with the idea of having her own getaway. free for her to go whenever she wished it.
“i think milk might be up to the task of making one for you.” fauna says.
cherry nods, “i actually asked them already. they’re swamped enough as it is and i’m awesome enough to wait it out.”
fauna takes a sip of her coffee. she smiles, perfection. “you are awesome.”
“you think so?”
“of course i do dearie. and not just because you’re my best friend.”
“aww! fauna loves me!”
fauna chokes mid-sip.
cherry quickly jumps to action, patting her on the back a tad too rough. but it’s the thought that counts. “are you okay? did it go down the wrong pipe?”
fauna loves me. the other girl didn’t know just how true that statement rang. shoot! fauna didn’t know how true that statement rang until just now.
she’s suddenly aware of everything now. every intent, every flutter to her heart when she spent her afternoons in cherry’s company. every eager thought there was to spend more time with her. the fact that she’d been so overwhelmed with the thought of this being a real date.
“your hearts beating really loudly.” cherry says, distressed, “are you dying? please don’t die till the apple pie gets here.”
and fauna can’t help but to laugh. she knows she needs to stop though, too scared that it might turn into a full on sob. too many emotions are festering in her right now. cherry looks at her worried and fauna feels like she’s crazy.
a minute passes before the deer is calmed down. cherry returns to her seat but her expression remains the same, body alert ready to jump to action if need be. it’s as silly as it is sweet. fauna doesn’t think her heart can take much more of this.
there’s a moment of brief silence. but unlike their usual moments of silence it isn’t comfortable. there’s a tension hanging in the air.
cherry goes to open her mouth, “look i —”
only to be interrupted by raymond. he’s carrying a silver platter, the pie on it still steaming. his smile feels out of place at their table. “i bring a special gift.” he sing-songs.
cherry’s eyes widen, “ah maybe you shouldn’t —”
but it’s too late. raymond places the pie right in front of fauna. winking, “enjoy it.” before walking a table over to stare.
cherry covers her face. head bowing while the tips of her ears grow red.
and fauna — fauna thinks she dies a little. she can sense her soul rising out of her body but she’s too dazed to grab it. her eyes are stuck on the sugared lettering. heart no longer in her chest, rather it’s in her throat and it’s suffocating her. in a good way. she thinks. as good as suffocation could get anyways.
will you be the apple of my eye, dearie? (date me.)
“it— well, i wanted the moment to be better. not after you nearly choked to death. but i suck at being romantic — n-not that i won’t be romantic once we’re dating. if you want to date me that is!” cherry groans. “i am messing this up immensely huh?”
“n-no.” it takes all of fauna’s strength to muster the words.
cherry deflates. “oh i see. well i hope we can still be friends —”
“no!” fauna rushes.
cherry’s falls even more. “i guess i understand…it would probably be awkward for you…”
“no, no i’m not saying no! i want to date you! i will date you! It’s just so…sudden.”
“i’m so confused right now.” cherry whines.
and fauna can’t help it. she laughs.
“you’re ridiculous.”
“fauuuna! are we dating or not?”
“yes,” she says, and out of the corner of her eye she can see raymond beaming. she’d have to rethink his punishment. “yes, we are.”
cherry’s weight in her arms is welcomed.
she really was worried for no reason.