Chapter Text
If there was one thing Nana Ishida knew about herself is that she has changed.
The Starlight Wonderland incident was 4 months ago, and in her opinion, that was plenty of time to grow and change.
Was she still working at a maid cafe? Yes, because it was the only job open under such circumstances. Was she living with Katelyn still? Yes, for…obvious reasons. But was she still seeing Zane? No. Things were too different and difficult now for them to stay together and she just “wasn’t ready or looking for a relationship right now.”
And in her mind, that was enough to tell her that she changed and grew as a person. At least that’s what she told herself and everyone else.
Nana huffed as she walked out of the Kawaii Treat Maid Sweet Café— Irene she HATED that name—, still in uniform, as the 3:30 sun glistened on her chestnut-coloured skin. It was times like this where she considered why she was even working at the cafe in the first place. Having to walk to and from work every shift was exhausting enough but to do it all while wearing platform maryjane heels made her more or less hate that she wasn’t born over 5 '5 rather than the cafe. She still hated it regardless. But she was good at working at it and the paycheck that came in the mail reminded her why it was worth it in the first place.
Walking back home usually consisted of the same things. The occasional asks for pictures from strangers, glares from strict parents, and semi-frequent drive by cat-call. Did these make her walk home more miserable? Sometimes but there was always a small glimmer of a wish around this time that she hoped she’d have granted.
Funnily enough, it was. Nana’s tiny handbag vibrated and her small, clawed hand pulled out her cell phone to see a text message from her friend (?) Dante. He usually sent her a message around that time, usually a funny phrase or picture. This time it was a picture of Sonic the Hedgehog with his hand reached out like it was offering with the caption “Let’s take ibuprofen together”.
[Me , 3:44 PM]
I honestly need that after the customers today
[Dante :3, 3:44]
Lemme guess
Long day?
Nana chuckled softly to herself, her manicured fingers quickly tapping at the keys.
[Me , 3:46 PM]
Yep.
My brain is fried at this point
She replied, looking away at her phone to cross the street before reading it again once her phone vibrated on the other side.
[Dante :3, 3:47]
Sounds rough.
Want to come over to help take your mind off it?
The meif’wa woman took her bottom lip between her teeth, pursing before messaging him back with a giggle.
[Me , 5:47 PM]
Sure! :3
I’ll be there in a bit I just gotta change my shoes
[Dante :3, 5:47]
Perfect
See you then muñeca ;P
That nickname was enough to make her stride speed up a bit, a spring in her step and bounce in her sugar pink hair as she made her way back home.
Trying to open the door of her house as stealthily as possible was near impossible when Katelyn was home. Sure, Nana was a meif’wa and could usually be as quiet as a cat, but Katelyn was one of those people who practically had advanced hearing. And after knowing Nana and living with her for about 3 or more years, she had basically memorized her roommate’s routine at this point, so it was no surprise that Katelyn was already greeting her from the pink couch of their shared living room.
“Hey, you’re home,” She said, looking at her Meif’wa roommate with a melancholic smile on her pillowy red lips. She looked a lot like that recently, always looking like there was an undertone of sadness in her face. Her polished fingernails closed her journal she recently picked up—like her therapist recommended—to walk over to her roommate who was frantically attempting to take off her platform heels.
“Not for long. I’m going to go hangout with a friend,” Nana said while crouched over her small paw-like feet. Katelyn let out a small hum, her pouty lips forming into a thin line.
“Is it Dante?” She asked simply and nonchalantly, crossing her toned arms while leaning against the wall. Her saying that was enough to make Nana’s feline-like dandelion eyes widen more than they should have.
“Y-yeah actually. How did you know?” Nana stuttered.
Katelyn shrugged, “You’ve just been going over there a lot lately.”
Nana finally stepped out and off of her platform shoes, dropping at least 3-4 inches in height without her big heels.
“Well, you know. He was kind of left in the dark after everything that happened at Starlight. He kind of needs a friend,” She flushed, “Speaking of which, how long until Travis is back?”
Katelyn’s demeanor was usually that of calm, cool and collected but ever since Starlight, She didn’t seem as calm as she usually was. She was more melancholy, dismal and Nana saying that was just enough to make her shift uncomfortably, a shuddering breath escaping her pretty lips.
It honestly made Nana feel pretty bad, knowing that she basically made her best friend relive all of the memories of being brainwashed and her boyfriend being possessed by Irene-knows-what, even if it was accidentally. Regardless, Katelyn shook her head, powder blue hair falling in front of one of her turquoise eyes, putting on her best fake smile.
“Few more weeks. At least that’s what Aph told me.” Katelyn nodded, that dejected smile present on her pretty face that was lightly kissed by moles.
“That’s…that’s great! I’m excited for you,” Nana congratulated awkwardly, “I’m gonna go grab my shoes and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
Nana hurried up the stairs, rushing to her bedroom to grab her flats, making sure that she didn’t slip on the hardwood floors in her thigh high socks.
Just when she was about to leave, her hand on the doorknob and everything, a mellow voice stopped her.
“Nana, wait.”
Her sharp eyes turned to look at the woman behind her, Katelyn sighing before pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.
“I need to ask you something and you are completely allowed to tell me if I’m wrong or out of line for asking you this.” Katelyn began, Nana’s small hand now lightly resting against the doorknob.
“Are you…Are you sleeping with Dante?”
oh.
Fuck.
Fuck .
She knew.
She knew even after they were so careful but she knew.
Dante and Nana were seeing each other.
Initially, it was a drunken “accident” that started during the neighbourhood New Year’s Party. The two had gotten basically shitfaced off of cheap champagne and after having a sob session about everything wrong that was happening in their lives, Dante hugged her. But when he pulled away from her, the first thing he did was tell her how pretty she was and how grateful he was for her, messy blue hair in his face and holding her like she was the most precious porcelain cup on earth.
It was only natural that her drunken self would want him so badly so after whispering quietly into his ear, they both snuck away into the coat closet while everyone else was watching fireworks to make out and dry-hump each other like they were teenagers again.
Surprisingly, they remembered all of it so when they met up with each other they decided that a casual “no-strings-attached” approach was the best way to handle their relationship. Just casual stuff in secret. Stress relief.
Nana didn’t think anyone would have found out. No one should have found out. And they weren’t going to.
“What? No, what even makes you say that?” Nana vehemently denied, her cheeks going bad pink as her uniform.
“I mean…you’re over at his house for hours at a time…”
“We’re just hanging out!” Nana pouted, Katelyn raising her eyebrow.
“Doing what?” Katelyn crossed her arms, Nana giving her a pregnant pause.
“Watching movies…” She said meekly, which earned a confused look from her blue-haired roommate.
“Nana, you barely have the attention span for two episodes of Gilmore Girls. ”
Nana sputtered in false-scandalism as Katelyn watched her with blankly. After her dramatic reaction that got no response from Katelyn, she took a deep breath to try to compose and explain herself.
“Okay let’s say for the sake of argument I was ‘sleeping with Dante’” Her fingers making air quotes, “Why exactly would that be so bad?”
Katelyn raised her hands in defense, her cyan eyes widening at her best friend’s sassy words.
“I just….” Katelyn sighed, dragging a hand down her face, “Nana, you’ve been my best friend since we were first learning how to do quadratic functions together and if there’s one thing I know about you, is that you get very easily attached.”
“I do not!” Nana objected, an offended expression on her face.
“Nana…You were attached to a guy who didn’t even know you. You met because he was a pizza delivery man.” Katelyn explained, Nana’s cheeks going almost as pink as her hair.
“Oh come on, Kate! That was a one time thing!”
“What about that asshole that broke up with you after having sex with you in the hotel during A-Con?”
If Nana’s face could get any redder than it already was, it would. Katelyn was right—she always was right—but this hurt because she thought she was past that. Past getting attached, past latching on, past being with people who just used her for her body. She’s changed…hasn’t she?
She stood there looking at the ground while fidgeting with her fingers, Katelyn sighing with an apologetic expression on her face.
“Nana, you are my best friend and I love you so much,” Katelyn said while putting her hands on her friend’s shoulders “the last thing I want is to see you get hurt again after everything that happened.”
Nana sighed, pulling away with her hand on the doorknob.
“I have to go. I don’t want to make Dante wait any longer,” Her back turned towards her blue haired friend,
“I’m not going to get hurt again. I’ve changed, Kate. Maybe one day you’ll see that.”
And she closed the door, Katelyn in her house alone.