Chromed & Calico Paradise

Chapter 3: Troubled Future

(Ever since I met Meow Skulls, I've been feeling much better about my personal issues. You know, with all the stuff that's going on right now. We've been hanging out for some time now, doing all sorts of fun and cool things together. Like there was this one time where her brother, Meowscles (yep, apparently they are related after all), took the both of us fishing and we water skied with some sharks. It was a blast. But, I'm starting to think there's something wrong with her. She hasn't been wanting to hang out for the past three days. Maybe she's just wanting a break or something? But, I feel like we've been getting closer to each other throughout the time, so that's probably not the case. I think I need to go find her, make sure she's all right. Where would I start looking, though? Maybe Meowscles or Kit might know?)

It's been two weeks after Y/N and Meow Skulls' meeting, and they've been hanging out together ever since, mostly due to the amount of time
Y/N and the rest of the group have to lay low. However, it would appear that Meow Skulls hasn't been wanting to hang out with Y/N for some time. This has them somewhat worried, so they decided to go search for her. They approached the house where Meowscles and Kit lived, and locked on their door.

"Ah, Y/N! Good to see you again. How have you been?" Asks Meowscles, joyfully surprised to see them.

"Hi, Meowscles. I'm doing pretty good, thanks. What about you and Kit?" Asks Y/N.

"Oh, we're doing just fine. In fact, we're just having some good father-son bonding time right now!" Replies Meowscles.

"And by "father-son bonding time", you mean me trying to help you reconnect with Lynx time." Says Kit, interrupting the conversation.

"It's not nice to intervene in conversations, Kitto. I thought I raised you better!" Says Meowscles, embarrassed by Kit's sudden intervening.

"Oh, hi, Y/N! What're you doing here?" Asks Kit, realizing that Meowscles was talking to
them.

"Oh yeah, what are you doing here anyway?" Asks Meowscles.

"I'm just here to ask you something. Do you happen to know where Meow Skulls might be?" Asks Y/N.

"See, the two of us have been starting to hang out, but now she's been not wanting to hang out with me for the past three days." Continues Y/N.

"Oh, that doesn't sound good at all. She must be in one of her moods." Says Meowscles with a concerned look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Asks Y/N.

"Well, usually at some points, she would get sad and hide away. It's because she feels... troubled at times. Troubled with figuring out what her future holds and what she'll be doing." Replies Meowscles.

"Oh. Well, do you know where she lives? Maybe I'll be able to cheer her up." Says Y/N, still somewhat shocked about what they just heard.

"Her place is at Tilted Towers. She lives on the top floor of that building near that clock tower and that big tree. You can't miss it." Says Meowscles.

"Great, thank you for your help, Meowscles." Says Y/N, grateful for his help.

"No problem! And if things get rough, give me a call, all right? I don't like seeing her like this. Especially now." Says Meowscles.

"Her moods usually last up to a few hours, maybe even a day. But three whole days? That just worries me." Continues Meowscles, looking concerned by the thought of it.

"Don't worry, I'll see what I can do. Hopefully I'll be able to help her out. You two have a good day, now!" Says Y/N, determined to go help out Meow Skulls.

"You too, Y/N! Thank you!" Says Meowscles, getting back to his cheery mood.

"Yeah, see ya!" Says Kit.

After the information Y/N got from Meowscles, they start to make their way to Tilted Towers. Well, before stopping for to get some tacos and drinks from Greasy Grove. They thought some food might help with making her feel better. Once they found the building he was talking about, they start to make their way to the top floor. There, they found a sad-looking Meow Skulls laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Meow Skulls?" Says Y/N, calling out to her.

The moment she heard them, she instantly faced towards them.

"Y/N?! W-What're you doing here?" Asks Meow Skulls, shocked by their presence.

"I've been wanting to see you again. I visited your brother and he told me what's been going on with you. I thought I could come cheer you up." Says Y/N.

Meow Skulls is silent, thinking and looking at the distance.

"...I also brought tacos. Thought maybe some good food could help make you feel better." Continues Y/N.

Meow Skulls remains silent, but she eyes at the bag of tacos Y/N brought. Then, she finally speaks.

"...All right. I guess you can stay here a bit. But only for a bit, okay?" Says Meow Skulls.

"Sounds good to me." Says Y/N.

Meow Skulls proceeds to sit on the bedroom floor, with Y/N joining her side. The two then begin to dig in to the tacos and drinks Y/N brought, while Meow Skulls starts talking about her problems.

"I'm just worried for my future, you know? I don't know what's in store for me. Like, how do I choose what I wanna be in life? It's just... it's just making me feel lost, you know?" Says Meow Skulls, venting about what's on her mind.

"I mean, it's pretty understandable to feel this way. Especially with all the stuff that's happening right now." Says Y/N.

"It's not just that crap, you know. I've been feeling this way for a while now, and it hasn't really been getting any better. I know I like to keep things calico, and say that I'll always land on my feet. But... I don't know, it's just hard to feel and say that stuff when I'm worrying so much." Says Meow Skulls with a miserable look on her face.

"It's okay to not feel okay sometimes, you know. Especially when it comes to your future. But despite the things going on right now, you still have time to figure yours out. Sure, the future is unpredictable, but it's also what we make it. And I'm sure you're still able to make yours. It'll just take time." Says Y/N, trying to cheer her up.

"Even if you prefer to be alone right now and figure that out by yourself, don't forget that your family and friends have your back. Including me." Continues Y/N.

Meow Skulls is silent for a moment.

"...You really mean all that? Even you?" Asks Meow Skulls.

"Absolutely! Besides, what're friends for?" Says Y/N.

Meow Skulls starts to smirk the moment they said that.

"...Thanks for that, pal." Says Meow Skulls, starting to feel somewhat better.

Y/N nods and starts to smile with her. The two spent some more time finishing the tacos. When they're finished, Y/N starts to leave Meow Skulls alone again, until...

"Well, that's all of them. I guess I'll be on my way, then. You know, to give you your alone time and-" Says Y/N before getting interrupted by Meow Skulls grabbing their hand as they start to stand up.

"W-Wait! Don't!" Says Meow Skulls, grabbing Y/N's arm.

Y/N turns to see Meow Skulls looking up at them with desperate eyes, before immediately realizing what she just said to them and tried to calm herself down a bit.

"Um... I mean, uh... think maybe you could stay longer?" Asks Meow Skulls, trying to say something more calming.

To be continued in Chapter 4