Invite me to black [Late Afternoon; Frog x Brit]

If someone asked Brittany the day before if she would eveer dream of coming to Frogerio's house, she'd readily reply "Not in a million years!" with the widest and most relaxed grin of fun at how absurd the idea sounded. And there she is, wearing a smile not as broad but certainly as happy, behind no one less than Frogerio himself in front of his home. A house. A way bigger house than her modest apartment in the vicinity of Vista Square. Or maybe it looked bigger on the outside.

The first thing she did was to take her shoes off and place them in the cupboard. It was a habit she long forgot in her own home probably due to the tight and hurried schedule, when she arrived so late and tired that the only thing she could do is throw herself on the couch and sleep before she could take her clothes off and take a shower to clean her body from the daily stress. In someone else's house, however, she abode to the usual etiquette rules to the fullest. Brittany wasn't wearing any socks, being bare feet all the way just like home, and so she didn't mind.

“So...is it alright for me to come in? Like, won't your parents bother that you brought a stranger to your house without asking them first?”

“Nah, it's okay. I don't mind. I mean, I walk with shoes at home and I know that's not hygienic, but here... I wouldn't do the same, you know”, she giggled at Frogerio's concern as if she expected him to say something along those lines. "You don't have to", "make yourself at home", "my house is yours" and stuff like that to give her more liberty than they should. Honestly, she was more focused on the story he told about his family interactions; rather, the fact they'd rejoice at the sight of a female friend and his mother's assumptions that most of his male friends are gay. Made her laugh under her breath at what kind of friends Frogerio normally makes... Oddly, it made her realize they have no one from their social circles in common, only acquaintances from the Psyche Terrorist business that were less than friends and more like coworkers for a common goal. She wouldn't get a chance to express any emotion due to the realization they were socially apart, not when there's a four-feet figure running in their direction.

“Ahhahahaha! Is this yours? He's sooo cute! I mean, it's a boy right? Titus kinda sounds like a male name to me! Hey big boy!” At this point, the girl had slightly bent down, one hand under the dog's jaw and the other over his head in what seemed to be a gentle caress on his fur. “Awww look at you, tell me, how can I ignore that face? Guess who's the cutest doggy I've seen? It's you! Yes you are!”, she said, with a much sillier voice tone than before, those you put on to talk to little animals or babies. Regardless, contrary to Frogerio's possible assumptions, Brittany seemed comfortable enough to play a bit with Titus or even ignore the drooling factor over her hands or even her clothes. She could always wash them later, that's what water and soap are for, simple as that.

Sadly, all fun things must come to an end and if once she wouldn't object playing with Frog's enormous dog for a while, now the girl felt a bit anxious for meeting no one but his own mother coming right in their direction. Granted, animals are easier to handle than humans. That and she honestly hoped she wouldn't have to be (re)introduced to his family. A display of insecurity, perhaps, but for reasons known only by her for now. There's a reason why mothers-in-law are jokingly referred as monsters-in-law after all. Not that Brittany was already considering Frogerio's mother her mother-in-law...or was she?? “Hiii. I'm Brittany! Brit's for shorts, Froggy's friend from... school! Yep!” She did remember her from their first and, until now, only meeting five years ago. Normally, it would be enough time to forget a face if only the occasion of the meeting wasn't remarkable enough for the memories to linger with full details. The fateful day of the Divide was also the fateful day she met Frogerio's mother for the first time. Now, would it work the other way around? Would she remember Brittany as well? She could only wonder, anxiously.

...okay, this is exactly what she was fearful for. Being remembered, the last thing she'd want, which leads to the obvious conclusion that the self-introduction as "friends from school" didn't work. Looking on the brighter side, it counted as a half-truth, and the fact Alexa remembered her stayed as just a memory that didn't bring any embarrassment to the girl. Frogerio's mother was happy to reunite with her, even? Technically, something to be chill about and not grieve over.

“Bye, Titus! Bye, ma'am!”, she waved to them as her smiling eyes watched their figure to depart into distance until disappearing completely at the ending corner of the street. “Your mom... She looks just like that day. Do you remember? If it weren't for her... I guess I wouldn't be here today...” In a way, despite the girl's inner self being anxious to no avail about the outcomes of this meeting, Brittany was happy too. While she changed a lot over the years, Alexa was just like the last time they saw each other, like a living memory. Frogerio might say Brittany saved him, but the truth is that Alexa saved them both in her own merit. Her courage on a fateful day earned the girl's eternal admiration and she would be forever Brittany's childhood hero.

“Juice for me, and it's fine! We spend too many hours sit at school, I'm okay with not sitting for a while. That and...”, she raised her hands as if showing them to Frogerio. “I kinda have to, like, wash them. Your dog has a water tap where should be his mouth!” She laughed it off as a joke but really, the dog's saliva was all over her hand. The wipes Frogerio brought did help immediately but there was something else only water and soap could handle: the smell in her hands. “Your house is sooo big and nice. Your mom chose the decoration and furniture, didn't she? I dunno, this is just a mother thing, she strikes me as the type. You know, I've never seen your dad, or ever heard you mentioning him. Where's he?”

In the meantime, Brittany headed to the bathroom as suggested - moreso, the bathroom next to Frogerio's room; at some point, she'd find herself standing in front of it, choosing between intruding in his room or going to the bathroom. She never thought she'd be there, and yet here she is. There was some urge to open it, to enter his room like she's exploring and unravelling any secrets Frogerio might have... Was his room kept tidy? Or was it as messy as her own room? Does he have posters on the walls like most guys? Does he have adult magazines hidden? She could only wonder, and the more she wondered, the more she realized: they barely knew each other. Despite being her friend - her best friend -, Brittany didn't know much of him as of now. As it stood currently, they were more like fellow terrorists than close friends if the constant topic for conversations was terrorist issues rather than everyday matters. Regardless, she opted to just wash her hands instead of invading his privacy. After all, she couldn't take the juice glass with dirty hands.

“...” She stopped drinking for a while, right when Frogerio started talking about his father. The scornful way of talking about his father... It pained her. Clearly Frogerio didn't like his father, which would explain a lot as of why he has never mentioned the man before. Got her wondering what were his reasons for such spite. “You okay?”, Brittany asked, with a concerned frown after some minutes of silence. Depending on what he'd answer, she'd inquire further.

There was something odd in the way Frogerio acted about it. It didn't sit well with her to just diss your parents like that. Unless they were like her former parents, the foster ones and the unknown biological ones. Actually, not even them. Still, she decided to ask about it in another opportunity, playing along for now. She wouldn't want to risk the fun mood of the meeting inquiring about personal, delicate matters. “I'm...fine! Yeah, I'm fine, the juice is fine too! So, uh... your room it is! I kinda wanna know what's your particular kingdom like!”

While Frogerio could say his room was "spacious", to Brittany it was more than that. It was HUGE. Like, very huge. And colorful, and lively, and all kinds of words akin to wonderful she could think of. Not in a wondrous meaning, but in an "excited with the discovery of a new territory that denotes a degree of trust and high level of intimacy between a couple" meaning. The room was filled with things that suited what she knew of Frogerio so far. The comics stocked together (she loved comics!), the videogame (she loved videogames too!), his notable and obvious geek interests overall, the furnishings (the arrangement was so harmonic!) and the best of it: being there felt like being new but being welcome home as well. Ignoring Frogerio's initial question (not out of malice but fascination), she walked a bit in, staring at every corner, glancing at she could memorize. Memories from her childhood came back, like their first encounter. Back then, she dreamed of a room of her own, with her identity printed all over like this one, and also dreamed of inviting Frogerio over one day, because... he was her first friend. Not a simple friend, but a "friend friend" if she were to be vocal about it. And now... there she was.

“It's funny, but your room, I expected it to be like this even before. It's not weird that I wondered what's your room like, is it? This looks just like you... ”, she asked with a silly, dreamy giggle tinting every word. “You even got a PS4! I'm saving for one myself, so far I got an old PS2 I bought with a huuuuge discount. But it's not funny to play at home, Bernie can't really hold a joystick the right way. That and her claws kinda scratch the whole button covering too, no use... Hey, what kind of games you have there?”