kimi watanabe-finster. ☮︎

~

Her eyes drifted back over her shoulder to the toad on display, the kind of creature it was just so ugly it was cute. "I do not believe you... but you're here, and that's enough for me," Kimi beamed. He might not have been loving every moment either, but she was having a blast. Maybe the optimism would rub off on him if just a little. "I'm not trying to offend you. Then you might stop being my friend, and then what will I do?"

a limp smile at the reassurance , nuzzling her face into her friends shoulder , lids suddenly feeling heavy as they began to slightly droop . kimi's round cheek was warm against her scalp , and it took everything within the celestial creature not to purr in response . exhaustion suddenly weighed them down as they sunk further into the other's side , blinking slowly as her gaze focused on her hands .

"I'll order you something I can eat, so if you hate it, we can trade bowls." Was it a thoughtful offer, or was she just hopeful Luma would let her have what was left if she didn't finish it? Both. The answer was both. "And extra spring rolls. All the spring rolls." They could save and air fry what they didn't finish later, there was no such thing as too many spring rolls.

~

"I have had fried pickles," Kimi clarified, "but they didn't taste like this." Perhaps she was just starving, hadn't eaten enough today. Perhaps it was the alcohol, making everything seem so much better than it truly was. Or perhaps they really were the best fried pickles in Evermore, in the world. She would have to figure it out at a later date. "They seasoned these bitches with something insane." If only she had vegan ranch to dip them in, they would be orgasmic. She should have brought her bottle from home, but how strange would she look pulling a bottle of ranch out of her bag? Not that she cared what anyone thought. Reaching for another, her shoulders lifted and fell into a shrug. "I don't remember. Let's say 50/50 and call us both geniuses. I have to come here more often."

open starter location: wonderland

"Valentines day is sweet, but I'm not sure I'm the romantic type," Kimi admitted, it was nice in thought... but relationships never went very well for her. Sure, she wanted what her parents had, but she wasn't necessarily in a rush to fall in love. "Besides... it seems like capitalist propaganda. Buy chocolate, buy cards, buy plushies. What does any of that have to do with soulmates?"

luma , blinking at kimi , dropped her gaze down to where kimi had set her hand atop their knee . they blew out a breath , trilling their lips , a strand of hair fluttering up from where it had abandoned the knot atop her head . " sorry , " luma apologized , nose twisting , the nausea simmering as she floated back down to earth . " my anxiety is just , , , all over the place . is this - is this that hangxiety thing people have talked about before ?? " she wondered if she shifted if the symptoms would dissipate , the temptation so intense she moved hand to rest atop kimi's , squeezing it , to distract from the thought .

"Mm, that'll do it," Kimi confirmed. It had been awhile since she'd dealt with a true hangover, she liked to think she knew where her limit was enough to dance the line of minimal to no after morning affects, but she remembered it well enough. Her expression softened with sympathy, wishing she could promise them it would go away soon or there was an easy fix . . . but she just kind of had to ride it out. "You are fine," Kimi agreed, leaning her cheek atop the other's head, "but it still sucks ass."

~

This was not what she'd come to him for. Though realistically, Kimi wasn't sure what she had come to him for. She didn't have a plan on mind when she came to his door, she wasn't even sure if Berlioz was home. Still, he didn't seem to mind. He was the one that had kissed her, after all. And it really was a useful distraction. "Is that so?" She meant to say more, but then his lips were back on hers again. Her arms wound themselves around his neck as they fell back onto the couch, shuddering at his breath, warm against her skin. As soon as his lips were back on hers, she pulled away to grin up at him. "I fear you are underestimating how competitive I can be." With that, she pulled his face back down to hers, her lips close to his but not touching as she murmured, "But I do love games."

" oh cosmos , do you not remember either ?? " luma rolled onto her back , staring up at kimi wide-eyed , a look of horror flashing in her expression . " nooo !! oh stars and planets , this is bad . really bad . " spoken more to themselves than kimi , luma suddenly sat up , the room lurching forward as she did , bringing up both hands to clutch her head . ice pack , , , where had she put her ice pack ?!

"Wait, Luma, I didn't black out or anything," Kimi clarified, seeing the anxiety bubbling up in her friend, a frown tugging at her own lips. "I remember the whole night, give or take a few minutes. I just . . . wasn't part of that conversation." Nor did she want to be. She fought the urge to tell her to chill, knowing very well how unhelpful something like that was, placing what was meant to be a comforting hand on her knee.

luma laughed , stretching her arms over her head as she further draped herself across kimi's lap — akin to her cat-like habits , still growing accustomed to the human form she wore like a jacket that didn't belong to her . luma's fingers splayed , lengthening her spine , before dropping her weight entirely onto kimi's legs ; curling atop the plush of upper thighs . " oh , " she mused , heavy lidded as the popping of taught joints had made her sleepy . " that poor girl , i don't even want to know what i was saying to her , , , " a quiet lament , muffled by a yawn . " — annddd i may have to take you up on that . i'd love a cold shower , honestly . "

"I doubt you were that bad," Kimi offered. She had seen bad. She had been bad, when she first started drinking and didn't think about eating beforehand or having water to balance her shots. She had made a fool of herself in more ways than one. Maybe she was biased, but Luma didn't seem all that bad at her worst. "Besides . . . you'll probably never see her again." Wishful thinking. Get ahold of yourself, Kimi.

" ooooohhhh . huh . " luma's lips pursed , dark brows furrowing as she sifted through the limited memory she had of the night prior . she'd believe it . of course it was kimi !! then , a laugh ; one that was so weighted it made her bones groan as if they were warped floor boards . " — that makes sense . i'm uh , , , sorry you had to witness what you did . really . i'm like humiliated . " a tilt of her heavy head , the bun knotted atop it slanting sideways . " — but really , what shampoo do you use ?? it's like , , , the only thing i remember . " that and feminine hygiene products on earth are wildly different from what she had become accustomed to amongst the stars .

"I'm kidding, Lulu," Kimi laughed, a half-hearted one ; she didn't like this, the devastating feeling that come with crushes, the bitterness gnawing at the edges of her thoughts. It shouldn't get in the way of being a good friend. It shouldn't even bother her, period. It would pass. They always did. "I think it was some other girl. But you can borrow my shampoo, anyway. It's the expensive shit. Vegan, cruelty free, probably organic."

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 : @itskimibtchh !! 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: kimi's place after a horrendous night out at the topsy turvy

"Well — you were talking to me," Kimi stated, knowing ( though, she wished ) that was not who her friend was referring to. She had seen the other girl at some point, remembered rolling her eyes and downing another shot before the night turned sour. If she was pretty, she hadn't noticed. But it was hard to notice anyone else when she was out with Luma.

~

She was relieved, she didn't want to bother him but she really didn't want to be alone, either. She didn't notice him leaning in until his lips were on hers, surprising her at first, but she was only frozen for a few seconds before kissing him back. It was unexpected, but it did a good job of pushing all the other thoughts out of her head. She almost laughed when he pulled away, knowing she must have looked like a complete mess, smudged mascara down her cheeks. "Well, it worked," Kimi stated, her hand finding the back of his neck to pull him back down to her, locking their lips again, breaking away when she had to come up for oxygen. "There. We're even."

~

He wasn't wrong, she would be there for him if he needed it to, but she still felt bad for showing up like this. Even if she wouldn't mind any of her friends doing the same. "Thanks, Berlioz." She took a deep breath, held it in her lungs for a moment before releasing it. "But I can go... if you're busy, or you need to sleep." She tried not to let the disappointment slip into her tone, not wanting to guilt him into entertaining her. She had an early morning, but Kimi doubted she'd be able to sleep even if she went home now, and she was far too restless to just lie in bed alone. She lifted her head from his chest, the sound of his heartbeat and the warmth that was calming her to meet his eyes. "I won't hold it against you. Promise." He had done more than enough already.