A Faumei drabble, too long for twitter, too short for my AO3 compilation fic of them, so it’s just right for tumblr:
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The evening finds the CouncilRyS building fairly quiet for a change.
At the late hour, only Bae and Sana are streaming from the comforts of their own rooms. It can be assumed that all others would be fast-asleep, preparing for their own upcoming streams and events.
But such isn’t quite the case.
At the ground level, from the large, cozy space of the communal lounge and TV area, a faint, warm light emits. Fauna sits on the couch, a white nightgown and a pink plush blanket keeping her warm, along with Clover and Snail curled up together at one hip. Her unoccupied side is just a tiny bit cold, but it’s nothing major enough to distract or discomfort her. A cup of warm herbal tea is set on the small table beside her, which she occasionally pauses to sip at.
She works by the glow of the lamplight on her newest hobby - an attempt at crocheting scarves for each one of her gen-mates. With her own mint-green scarf as the trial, she’s already made her mistakes and figured out the best techniques to use for her friends’ crafts.
Presently, she moves her hands slowly, yet confidently through winding the dark pinks and purples of what will eventually be IRyS’s gift. After having streamed late into the previous night, she had slept most of the morning today, and thus has plenty of energy for this evening to work on her personal projects.
Too comfortable to stretch for her phone on the just-out-of-reach coffee table in front of her, and even more unwilling to disturb her cat companions, Fauna had abandoned the thought of playing real music hours ago, and instead has opted to hum gentle tunes to herself. She weaves her way through IRyS’s scarf, pausing when her hands get tired either to take a sip of her tea, poke Snail’s head, or run her fingers down Clover’s back.
In the few pauses in between whatever songs come to her mind, the distant chirps of night crickets can be heard from outside, along with the more subtle noises of the building’s ventilation ticking and whirring, and a few rolling purrs or airy snores.
A quaint hour of evening, all her own.
Fauna indulges in it as much as she can, savoring every tiny piece of it, from the leafy scent of her tea to the soft materials at her fingertips.
She’d hummed her way through about half of Shiny Smily Story when a different noise adds to the soundtrack she’d gotten so used to for the past few hours. A creak of a stair, and then the padding of slippers over hardwood floors.
Fauna lifts her head, a few strands of hair falling down around her face from where they’d gotten curled around her horns from leaning forward over her craft. When she looks to the bottom of the staircase, her eyes widen just a little.
“Mumei?”
Standing at the base of the stairs, dressed in her own lavender nightgown, Mumei rubs her eyes with one hand. The other hand is at her side, fingers curled into the wing of an owl plush-mallow that had made the journey with her.
“Fauna…?” Her voice is cracked and raspy - in a cute way rather than a concerning one. “I can’t sleep…”
Fauna smiles, though she still can’t help a small twinge of concern from running through her chest.
But before she can even ask or start to be too worried, Mumei lets out an adorable yawn, content and childish, and right away Fauna knows there’s nothing painful or stressful behind her friend’s sleepless night. Perhaps just the want for some company. And that’s something Fauna will happily provide.
With a chuckle, she inclines her head.
“Come join me, Mumei.”
Clearly relieved that her presence hadn’t intruded on Fauna’s activities, Mumei smiles back and slowly shuffles her way over to the couch. Fauna moves some of the blankets and crochet materials to create space for her.
Mumei sleepily plops herself down on Fauna’s side opposite the cats and immediately cuddles up against her. Resting her head on Fauna’s shoulder, she clings to her owl plushie with one hand while lightly gripping Fauna’s nightgown with the other.
Tilting her head sideways, Fauna brushes her cheek against the top of Mumei’s head, where the feathers lightly tickle her skin.
“Is everything all right?” Just to be certain, she asks.
Mumei yawns again, and it’s much more happy-sounding than the previous one had been.
“Yeah… ‘m just sleepy…”
Fauna adjusts the plush blanket over Mumei’s back and shoulders, cocooning the two of them together underneath.
“Would you like some tea?”
But the only response is silence and soft breathing. Mumei had more or less fallen asleep the second she’d made contact with Fauna, feeling safe and content enough with simply being by her side. Fauna chuckles to herself and presses a soft kiss into Mumei’s hair, sending her silent wishes to sleep well.
With another companion now curled up fast-asleep at her side, Fauna continues humming her way through IRyS’s scarf, now perfectly snug on both sides.
A peaceful evening to say the very least, quietly productive and positively warm.
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