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Bassie wandered through the eerily quiet corridors of Shelly’s Museum, her echoed footsteps being the one thing to break the silence. Her eyes absentmindedly glazed across the all-too familiar dinosaur facts that lined the walls, ones that she tried so desperately to remember for Shelly that always felt too complicated for her. It seemed as though the dino skeletons were her one final company before she had to retreat back to the Easter room for another year.
…She didn’t want to go back. She never did. At the very least, the months always went by impossibly fast, as she found herself dissociating for most of the time. But for the times she held some sort of consciousness, well… as nice as (most of) the other Easter Toons were, she missed many of her other friends during her time boxed away.
She had decided to spend her last hours in freedom at her favorite Toon’s favorite place. Even if she admittedly wasn’t too interested in dinosaurs, knowing this was Shelly’s domain gave her comfort in of itself.
As Bassie’s gaze flickered across the area, she suddenly froze as a figure came into view.
There, at the farthest end of the room, Shelly had her back to Bassie, sitting on her knees in a sandbox, idly scooping sand with a toy shovel, before lazily letting it drop down. Over, and over, she witnessed the motion…
What was she doing out here? It was late and Bassie knew that most Toons were asleep by now. She expected her stroll to be in solitude, but… could something be keeping Shelly awake as well? After observing her for an… admittedly longer than normal time, she hesitantly took a few steps forward. Shelly turned her head, and Bassie could’ve sworn, even from afar, she saw a glint of change in Shelly’s stare as she focused on her.
“Bassie? You’re awake! My goodness, what are you doing here?” She exclaimed, shakily getting to her feet. “Not that I’m upset to see you here, of course! I was hoping to see you tonight, actually!” As Shelly stumbled out of the sandbox, she trotted over with her arms outstretched before pulling her into a hug, briefly stunning Bassie before she, too, wrapped her arms around the other. Oh, Shelly, you’re too sweet…
Bassie hadn’t realized how much she needed this as she rested her head on her shoulder, closing her eyes to savor the moment. “I– thank you… I guess I just couldn’t sleep, haha. I’m sure you understand, with me having to go back tomorrow… I needed something to take my mind off of things for a bit.” She lifted her head, hesitantly backing away from the hug to make eye contact. “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing out here? I was expecting to be alone, and yet here you are! Did I interrupt somethi–”
Shelly laughed weakly, looking down at the ground in slight embarrassment. “Oh, no, no! I wasn’t doing anything important. Just thinking, really.” She gulped.
“Thinking about you, actually.” A small flush seemed to appear across Shelly’s features, and Bassie instantly felt her own face grow unexpectedly hot.
“R-really? You think about me?” Bassie sputtered out. Shelly put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a sheepish smile.
“Of course I do, silly! You’re my friend! And I already know I’m going to miss you a lot when you’re gone.” She sighed. Bassie felt a rush of emotions in her heart. Somebody really cares this much? I’m… I’m missed? Truthfully, she had never thought too much of how it’d feel for other Toons, others that lived their lives normally, that’d feel the full extension of time without them…
“I want to spend time with you tonight. I want to go to your room. Please.” Her words came out direct, unprocessed, unabashed. She could already feel a pang of sadness at the thought of her absence, both for herself and for Shelly.
“I’d… wow! I’d really love that, haha.” Shelly gestured her hand out in a following motion, and quite brazenly, Bassie immediately clasped her hand around hers. Realizing her action, she quickly retreated, embarrassed, but Shelly simply giggled and took her hand again.
“It’s okay! I can lead you while holding your hand!” She said. Bassie simply thanked her as she stared at the floor, hiding her increasingly more blushing face.
Has she always made me feel like this? Her conclusion was… probably, actually. She had just been too wrapped up in her problems to notice.
The two of them walked through the museum, hand in hand, as Shelly pointed out each display and excitedly chittered a short blurb of information about each dinosaur they passed. Although it was hard for her to retain and understand the information, she kept quiet so that she could keep listening to Shelly’s cheery voice. I’m glad she has something to keep her happy.
Eventually, they made their way to a ‘staff only’ door tucked away in the corner, creaking the door open and slipping inside.
Bassie had been in Shelly’s room a couple times before, but this time she decided to take everything in before she was ripped away from it.
Hefty wooden shelves lined the walls, some filled with books she could only presume were paleontology related, others displaying fossils and other dino-related trinkets. A cute T-rex (hey, that’s one dinosaur she could remember!) rug took up half the floor, cozy-looking bean bags harboring various plushies on top. That’d be such a pleasant spot to relax with Shelly sometime, Bassie noted to herself. A corkboard held a bunch of art that children had made for her, making Bassie smile to herself. Beneath it, a fancy wooden table sat, having stationary tools and a pretty yellow flower positioned inside a glass cup–
Wait. I gave her that flower last week! She put it on display? Hah… HAHAH! That must mean she likes it a lot! YES! She subconsciously waved her arms in excitement, before snapping her direction away to Shelly’s… quite frankly massive bed, noticing Shelly sitting at the edge, patting the spot beside her.
“Looking around? It’s a bit of a mess right now, sorry, heh… but I hope you still like it! Come on and join me here!” Shelly signalled. As Bassie sat down beside her, she dully noted the pile of tissues at the foot of the bed, but made no mention of it.
Bassie’s mind was still feeling giddy from noticing her gift on display, and couldn’t resist pointing it out. “I see you put my flower I gave you on the table! Does that mean you liked it? I tried picking out the prettiest one for you, I hope it shows.”
“Bassie! I love it! You did such a great job picking one out, it always makes me smile. And, well… I’m just really happy you got something for me in general! It’s not often I get gifts from other Toons…” Shelly sighed softly, turning her head away. “And it’ll be a nice reminder of you when you’re away.” A painfully loud silence followed afterwards, and Bassie felt her stomach drop, a subtle motion, yet overwhelming in the moment.
“I wish I didn’t have to leave. I feel like I’ve been getting so much closer to you recently… you know, regarding everything that’s been happening.” A bitterness swelled up in her remembering her anxieties regarding Cocoa potentially replacing her role as a Main Toon. She did not want to spend a year locked up with her out of everyone. “You’re the only one that truly understands me. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.” She felt her throat tighten with emotion. “Sometimes… sometimes, I wish you were an Easter Toon, just so I could spend more time with you–”
As the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted it. What a horribly selfish thought. She probably thinks I’m awful now. Awful, clingy, too dependent, not fit for my role at all.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for even suggesting that. That’s super selfish of me, isn’t it? To rip you away from all your other friends…” Her voice shook, and all of a sudden, she collapsed into Shelly’s lap. “Forget I ever said that, okay?!”
Warm hands suddenly clasped her face as Shelly titled Bassie’s face to meet her gaze. “It’s okay! Trust me, you’re not selfish, Bassie, and if you are… then that’d make me selfish too, because I’ve had the same thought slip my mind a few times before, heh.” One hand stayed on her cheek while the other rubbed her back, and Bassie felt herself melt.
I can’t believe it. Does she really like me that much? I didn’t… think anyone would like me this much.
“Thank you so much. Sorry for freaking out a little, haha..! I just don’t want to make you feel weird.” She laughed nervously.
Although, you’re definitely making me feel weird right now. But in a good way.
Shelly scooted a little to pull the blankets from underneath them, gently moving Bassie off of her lap and laying on her side. “Come on and lay with me. It’ll help you relax.” She murmured. Bassie happily obliged, laying down beside her. A moment away from her contact, however, made her realize how much she yearned for it, and so she hesitantly decided to ask something she never thought she’d get to ask someone…
“Um, do you think it’d be okay if I–” As she began talking, she near instantly clammed up, hiding her face and curling in embarrassment.
“Hm? What is it? Don’t be so shy!” Shelly giggled, only making Bassie want to hide more from how flustered she was getting. After a pause, however, she slowly unfurled herself.
“...Could I maybe hold you? While we’re laying down?” She near-whispered.
Shelly’s face flickered to shock for a split second, before shifting to one of blissful happiness. “Oh! That’d be… really sweet.” And with that, Bassie wrapped her arms slowly around Shelly, feeling the slightly roughened texture of her clothes, before resting her head in the crook of her neck. Shelly obliged, holding her softly in return. Bassie let out a long exhale she didn’t know she’d been holding.
Is this real? Has all of this actually happened? In a twinkle’s realization, the gravity of everything crashed onto her. In her life where she had never gotten truly physically close to anyone outside of quick, friendly hugs, here she was holding another so dearly. They had held hands, and she had let Bassie shiver in her lap as she spilled such personal thoughts, and Shelly hadn’t even made mention of it the entire time. She was calm. Normal about it all. Her mind flashed to the note she had found, about her being too ‘dependent on others’... and yet Shelly did not complain once. Was she really this okay with it all? Did she maybe even need her the way she needed Shelly?
You’re getting ahead of yourself, Bassie thought bitterly, but as if on cue, Shelly began to speak once more.
“I’ll miss you.” She sighed. “I’ve never felt more comfortable. I can’t explain it, I was always so afraid of things like this,” she gestured around their general position before setting her hand back on Bassie’s back, “but it feels so calming with you, almost like it was never scary in the first place!” Shelly’s face was tinged an orange-ish color she’d never seen her with before, and Bassie knew she herself must’ve been in a similar position.
“I’m going to miss you too. I… I wish this lasted forever.” She pulled Shelly in closer. “But I’m happy with even just this moment.” Her eyes drifted shut, tiredness falling over her like a cozy warm blanket. “I think this is just what I needed tonight.”
Bassie’s head fell slack on Shelly’s shoulder, and she felt Shelly’s head rest in her bed of flowers in her basket, a funny, almost ticklish sensation. Soft blankets were soon tucked up to their necks and she felt herself getting swept more and more into sleep.
“Goodnight, Bassie.” Shelly said, an audible smile in her voice. “Sleep tight.”
“Goodnight… see you tomorrow morning. And then… and then, next year.” The words clumsily stumbled out of her mouth.
“I’ll be waiting.”