Late at night, in a grocery shop somewhere in the middle of a bustling city, a small mousette stands in the baking aisle, surrounded by various ingredients and tools used for making a variety of baked goods, the smell of it always making her eyes dilate from excitement.
She strolls through the aisle, a perkiness in her steps, almost hopping with each one, tripping being a real possibility due to her flowery yellow dress, which is covered in various splotches of paint due to her clumsiness as a painter, not that the hazard ever crosses her mind until she's already tripped, which she has many times before.
Upon reaching the middle of the aisle, she slows down, scouting the shelves with her adorable, child-like gaze, the hetero-chromatic pink and purple irises of her eyes glistening with curiosity as she looks through what the shelves hold, instinctively putting the tip of her index finger in her mouth as she does, helping her focus.
Eventually, she finds what she wants, a 2KG bag of "Creamy Batter" cake mix, her favorite brand, at a discount too, making her audibly excited, giving a quiet "Wooahh...".
unfortunately for her, it was on the top shelf, and with how short she is, she had no chance of reaching it.
looking around her, there was no one in the aisle aside from her and a tall, mean looking deer lady, who already looked busy, making the mousette not want to bother her, though the distraught she felt made her stare at the deer for a good while, the worry she felt being visible on her face, at a on what to do, her vision becoming a little fuzzy.
A few moments later, the mousette could feel a light tap on her shoulder, the deer lady crouching beside her, having moved towards her without noticing, staring her down with a pair of tired, absent, purple eyes, her black jacket sucking out the light in the room, with a weird looking crazed bunny imprinted on the grey shirt under the jacket, which spooked the mousette.
"Did you need something?" the deer asked, in a monotone voice.
"U-Uhm, n-no... a-actually, y-yeah, can you get me this bag up there, pretty please?" the mousette responded, sounding panicked at first with how in her face the deer was, before accidentally letting out her actual thoughts, something she had a habit of doing, pointing meekly to the bag of cake mix afterwards.
After hearing this, the deer lady stood up and grabbed the large bag, before crouching to meet the mousette's gaze again, spooking her a second time.
"You sure it won't be too heavy on you?" the deer lady asked, with a mildly concerned tone, lightly raising her eyebrow.
"I buy this exact brand of cake mix every few weeks, so, I'm used to it! It gives my strawberry cakes such a sweet flavor, I've even read a few articles about it being "Dangerously sweet" which, I think that's a good thing!" the mousette responded, with a really cheerful and excited tone, her arms floating next to each other in the air, with her wrists pressing against each other infront of her mouth, idly swaying in place from her glee.
'That... doesn't exactly sound good for your heatlh? But, who am I to judge with my bag full of frozen dinners and alcohol.' Nikita thought to herself, being slightly worried about the young mousette, but, feeling hypocritical if she intervened.
"Is your name by any chance Nikita, miss? I think I recognize you from the dorms!" The mousy girl asked, her mouth slightly agape and her palms wide open as her arms stay stuck to her sides, waiting for a response.
"That's me alright, didn't know I was popular there." Nikita responded, a bit of sarcasm in her voice, which the mousette failed to pick up on.
"I'm Nina! Nice to meet you miss Nikita!" She responded in a cheerful tone, closing her eyes and holding her arms behind her, her pose and posture being very polite.
She continued before Nikita can respond: "I hear the others in the dorms call you scary, you look very scary but you seem really kind, thank you for helping me again!" her tone happy and appreciative.
"They think I'm scary, huh? I can't exactly blame them with the noises coming from my room sometimes, heh." Nikita responded, a bit of smugness and pride in her tone.
"I did hear some of those noises... they sound too muffled for them to be caused by someone, so... I think it's a bit silly for the others to think you're scary because you watch horror movies!" Nina responded, pausing a lot to make sense of the noises she heard from Nikita's room, before coming to this conclusion, one which made Nikita giggle a bit.
'When did the uni start accepting toddlers as students? She seems way too naive, and, genuine, not something you see often in this piece of shit place for a reason.' Nikita thought, slightly pausing to herself when she realized just how honest Nina is, something she really appreciated in others.
"Anyway, nice to meet you too, Nina, I'm glad I could help you out, you should stop calling me "miss" though." Nikita added, her tone polite, but, distant, with some discomfort leaking in the last sentence.
"Okey, I'll keep that in mind Lady Nikita!" she says while giving a sweet, toothy smile with her eyes closed.
"...On second thought, miss is fine actually." Nikita responded, scratching her head slightly.
"But yeah, again, glad I could help, ciao." Nikita said before attempting to walk away, only to feel a gentle tugging on her jeans and a concerned sounding squeak from Nina.
"U-Uhm, is it okey if I go back home with you? I want to talk to you more!!" she said, sounding a bit anxious, her pleading puppy eyes gazing directly into Nikita's soul, or at least, that's what she felt.
"I... you know what, sure, you can come along." Nikita responded, trying to hide the slight blush on her face caused by the mousette's begging.
"Yayyy!! Thank you so so much! You're such a nice miss!" Nina responded, sounding happy and excited, swaying her dress's skirt from side to side as she gives a toothy, closed eyes smile.
As the two of them moved down the aisles, Nikita pushing her cart looking bored, if a bit happy, and Nina merrily hopping beside her with each step, holding her personal pink cardboard bag, shortly after looking towards the doe and saying.
"We both share the same campus, did you ever notice me there? I see you there a lot in the morning! You sometimes look drowsy and peeved and a bit wobbly though, do you feel tired all the time like me??" she asks, sounding a bit excited with the last sentence, slowing down with her hops to not trip over her words, or herself.
"O-Oh, no, not tired, not in the traditional sense at least, it's just uh... the coffee I drink making me exhausted, that's it, can't say I noticed you much either, sorry." she responds, completely caught off-guard, sounding a bit unsure with her explanation, thinking to herself: 'Are my hangovers really that noticeable? None of the profs mentioned it before, I guess they don't care enough to mention it or trust me to still be focused'.
"Also, you feel tired all the time? you certainly don't seem tired right now, how come?" she continues, partially out of curiosity and partially wanting to change the topic, not wanting her lie to be caught, why she thought someone like Nina would be able to pick up on that though she wasn't sure.
"Oh, um, it is because I have this,, condition? I think it's called... necro... macrooo..." Nina responds, trying her best to recall the name of the condition but failing, before bringing out a rolled up notebook paper she has kept inside one of her thigh highs, making Nikita's eyes dialate.
'What else is she keeping in there? I hope nothing too sharp, that paper's corners look pointy enough' Nikita thought to herself, feeling genuine concern for the mousette, though, she wasn't sure why she felt that.
The sound of the paper unwrapping disrupted Nikita's brain of thought, making her focus on what Nina will say, which was: "Narcolepsy, that's the word! Mom said it means that I sleep a lot and feel tired quickly, and I like sleeping! I like rolling up in a ball in my bed and cuddling my plushies!" her tone incredibly cheery and brimming with innocence, sounding especially excited with the last sentence, giving a small *blep* with her eyes closed after she was done talking.
"Huh, I see then, isn't going out so late by yourself risky though? you might fall asleep on your way home and, god knows what will happen then." Nikita responds, both looking and sounding worried, shuddering a little at the thought of what could happen to Nina.
"It's fine, don't worry! This store's staff are super nice, they have someone take me home if I come in late! Thank you for caring for me so much though, miss!" Nina responds, sounding grateful for both Nikita and the store's workers, hugging Nikita after finishing her sentence, making Nikita give a slight gasp, initially wanting to push her off, but deciding against it, as the warmth from being hugged by someone as nice as Nina grew quickly on her, petting the mousette instead, and blushing slightly.
"Uhm,, do you, want me to walk you back to the dorms this time instead? I'm going back there anyway" Nikita said, sounding a bit unsure, wondering if she's pushing things a bit, but to her relief, Nina nods incessantly in response, still hugging Nikita, making the doe feel a bit happier.
As they make their way to the counter, while purchasing things they need along the way, with Nina keeping close to Nikita at all times, holding her hand for comfort, she tries to make some conversation, wanting to know more about the doe, leading to her asking: "Soooo... What field are you studying in? What are your hobbies? Why do you dress like this? you look so cool but so creepy! Where do you get your clothing from? Can I draw you pretty please? Is your spiky tooth real? is-".
She intended to ask these one at a time, but her curiosity got the better of her, causing her to flood the doe with questions, which forced her to interrupt the mousette, saying: "Woah woah woah, slow down there, one at a time, okay?", trying to sound kind, but commanding.
"A-Ah! I'm so so sorry! U-Uh... one at a time then... What field are you studying for?" the mousette asked, seeming a bit anxious with her response, worrying she annoyed Nikita.
"It's fine, no need to be sorry, and well... engineering I guess, mostly interested in the mechanical and design side of things, teaches you how to make some useful things out of hardware store stock, I'd say I'm still decent with electrical engineering as well though, computers I'm kinda incompetent with though " Nikita responds, sounding slightly proud of herself when she mentioned the useful things you can make with mechanical engineering, though in general sounding monotone, if a bit happy to get to talk about herself.
"Ooooooooo!! That's really really cool!! What sort of stuff have you made yourself? Can you make something like... a skillet? A... A building!?" Nina asked, stars filling her eyes from how impressed she was, despite her not being super sure what you can really do with mechanical engineering, asking about the first two things that came to mind.
"I mean... a skillet is pretty rudimentary and a building is like, a whole building? I'm sure I can design something prettier and more practical than the shit they have on campus and in the countryside, specially designing them in a cost effective manner that's sturdy and withstands age and the constant rain in this country, which, to be fair, the buildings here do quite well, but they look fucking horrid and their durability is awful." Nikita responds, seeming like she's talking to herself at the end thinking about the logistics of such a thing, before snapping back into reality.
"But, uh...yeah, I guess I can." she continues, sounding a bit absent-minded.
"Wow! That's super cool! You seem so smart! You even had that "smart person thinking about something" look on your face there!" Nina responded, sounding cheery and impressed, pretty much standing on her tippy-toes from amazement.
'Fucking god, is that something I do? I should stop that ASAP.' Nikita thought to herself, feeling embarrassed for seeming like such a nerd, even though she was flattered by what Nina had said.
"But yeah, thanks I guess, you seem pretty talented in your own way." Nikita responded, scratching her head as she did, despite her monotone voice, she did seem genuinely flattered.
"I'm guessing you do art yourself? From like, all the paint and stuff on your dress, is it actual paint or is the dress just like that?" Nikita asks, leaning her head slightly as she looks at Nina's dress, curious about it.
"Mhm mhm!! I'm an artist yeah! I've loved art since... forever! Always watched every new episode of Clob Moss and drew along with him! He's my main inspiration, which is why I draw scenery mostly!" Nina responded, her voice brimming with pure excitement and glee, holding both of her hands close to her chest and leaning so far forward that she almost fell.
"Yeah, this guy is really cool, I used to watch him as well as a kid and while I didn't like, actually draw along, just his advice and kindness really stuck with me." Nikita responded, feeling really nostalgic, if slightly pained those days can't come back.
"OOOOOOOOOOO, you should definitely come with me to my dorm!!! We can spend the whole night watching Clob Moss tapes, I have the every single episode!! I'll even draw along with you! It will be so much wonderful fun!!!" Nina responded, sounding extremely excited, being wholly serious with her offer.
"I... hmm, I actually don't have anything going on tonight so... sure, I'm game" Nikita responded after thinking for a little bit, actually sounding mildly excited by the prospect, as she hadn't done anything like a "sleepover" in years now.
"Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh!! I'm so so so happy you accepted!! This will be so amazing!!" Nina responded, sounding extremely excited, hopping in place as she did while holding both of her hands close to her chest, with an extremely big smile on her face, the of which sight making Nikita mildly blush.
After paying for everything, the two of them head out of the store and into the city's streets, with Nina holding Nikita's hands, Nikita's grip feeling especially tight.
The night sky shone a mix of purple and black, the stars glowing with a vividness akin to what Nikita was feeling, while she was initially unsure of Nina due to how immature she seemed, she started really opening up to her as they talked more, her level of sincerity and kindness were incredibly rare to find in her experience, and her innocence felt like something deeply worth protecting.
"Gosh I can't wait to do this, we'll spend the whole night watching every single season! I'll... *yawn* bake so many cupcakes for us to eat while we watch too! It'll be so so great! I can't... *yaaaaawn* wait..." Nina said as she merrily hopped next to Nikita, initially sounding thrilled for the sleep over, but mid-way through her sentence, she began sounding tired, and her grip on Nikita's hand began to loosen, giving a couple of yawns.
"Hey, you alright? seems like you're getting tired." Nikita said, sounding worried, strengthening her hold of the mousette's hand incase she fell.
"Huh? N-No, I'm... *yaaaaaawn* fine! Don't worry!" Nina responded, sounding even more exhausted, rubbing her eyes slightly.
"Look, I can uh... carry you to the dorm if you're getting tired, it's fine." Nikita responded, slowing to a stop before she did to discuss this, causing Nina to almost fall on her face due to the exhaustion.
"Y-Yeah, I... *yaaaaaawn* would really like that, thank you... miss." Nina responded, despite sounding tired, the gratefulness in her tone was very apparent, with her holding her arms out to be picked up.
Shortly after picking up Nina and cradling her, as that was the most comfortable way to hold her with her tiny size, the small mousette fell asleep in the doe's arms, giving a few light pitched, adorable sounding groans and snores as she slept, acting like the adorable baby she is, the sight causing Nikita to absent-mindedly run her hand through the mousette's hair as she walked back to the dorm, with a few people seeing her as she did.
Eventually, she reaches the main dorm building, and after asking around, figures out which floor and room belongs to Nina, after reaching it, she knocks on the door, to which she hears someone on the other side.
"Who is it?" the voice asked, sounding a bit anxious and mildly frustrated.
"Not someone you know, though I was walking your roommate home, Nina, she fell asleep mid-way through and I had to carry her." Nikita responded to the voice, explaining the situation.
"Ah, yeah, this shit happens way too often, wait a few seconds, I'll be right back." The voice responds, sounding mildly annoyed but incredibly relieved.
After a bit of waiting, the door opens up, another small mouse on the other side of it, about the same height as Nina, her fur was off-white and her hair a dark purple, with her dressing in a short skirt and sleeveless shirt, she seemed a lot more mature and of her age than Nina, with the way she dressed and talked.
"Why... are you holding her like that?" The other mousette said, raising her eyebrow at Nikita and looking suspicious of her.
"Because that was the most comfortable way to hold her, she's, you know, small." Nikita responded, giving the other mousette the honest truth.
"As long as you didn't molest her or something then, whatever, I'm just glad she's back and safe." the other mousette responded, despite her attitude at first, she was genuinely grateful.
"If you're so worried about her why didn't you go to the store with her in the first place?" Nikita said, sounding judgemental, wondering if the other mouse actually cared.
"Look at me for 2 seconds and you'll get why, missus STEM student, I could barely fend for myself let alone for her, so, would be better if only one member of the family got kidnapped." The other mousette responds, her attitude coming back.
"You're completely ignoring how gullible she is and how having two people makes kidnappers way less likely to think of you as a target, but go off really, it ain't my concern" Nikita responds, her tone being quite angry and judgemental, feeling like she had a point.
"You know... Yeah, fair enough, you're right, I should go out with her more often." The other mousette responds, sounding a bit guilty.
"You should probably lay her in bed now, she does seem really tired, her room, it's in the top right corner of the room" She continues, pointing to the bed covered with plushies of various animals and cartoon characters.
Nikita nods, and heads there, putting Nina's bag on the desk near the bed, then clearing out all the plushies in the middle of it, laying Nina on it gently, the small mousette seeming a lot more comfortable in it, with her hugging one of the plushies next to her, Nikita running her fingers through Nina's hair one last time before leaving the room.
As she goes back to her room, she starts thinking about Nina some more, feeling both worried something would happen to her if she doesn't have someone to go out with who can physically protect her, or hell, being worried about her going out in general due to her narcolepsy, she also thinks about how much she enjoyed their time together, and how cute she felt Nina is, her sincerity and kindness being something she really loved about her, making her consider meeting Nina more, maybe even befriending her.
Although, with time, as the both of them met more and more, and started spending a lot of time with each other, their feelings for each other felt a lot more than those of friends, and, with Nina getting the idea of them going on a date from the rumors spreading around that they are dating due to the others seeing Nikita holding the comatose Nina, and with said date going extremely well, they started dating each other, both feeling like they were a perfect fit for each other, despite their many differences, they complimented each other very well, and had things the others desperately needed in someone.
Thus, Nina moved into Nikita's dorm, so they can spend more time with each other, and be there when the other needs them, always being there for each other.
