Golden Girl; 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂

Summer 1993: The Art of Compromise

"Bambi- er, wake up," Fred said, shaking her awake.

"Hmm?" Bambi rolled over, practically rolling onto Fred from how close she was to him. She blinked- the early sun was out and it was blinding. It took her a moment to orient herself before she realised they must have fallen asleep under the stars.

Fred leaned closer, his voice a mix of urgency and embarrassment. "Well, your dad just came outside. I think he was looking for you, and he saw us—well, asleep here. I had just woken up, but he gave me a scary look and went back inside."

Bambi's eyes widened as she processed the situation. "Asleep? What?" She quickly sat up suddenly alert, "Shit- shit-That's not good. Did he say anything?"

Fred shook his head, his expression a mix of concern and awkwardness. "No, he just gave me a look that could curdle milk and then went back inside. I think we might be in for a chat."

"Shit," Bambi let out a nervous laugh, trying to hide her growing anxiety. "Great. Just what we needed." She groaned, running a hand through her tangled curls. She hadn't remembered falling asleep last night, they had just been talking, then the next thing she knew they were here. "My dad already thinks I'm not responsible enough, and now this..."

"I mean, it's not like we did anything wrong! We just... fell asleep," Fred said awkwardly, "It'll probably blow over," He added, though he didn't seem entirely convinced.

"Try explaining that to him," Bambi groaned, standing up, "You know he can be- Overprotective is his default mode."

With a shared, uneasy laugh, they both stood up, gathering the quilt and trying to smooth out the disarray of their overnight camp.

"You should get back to your own tent," Bambi said, her voice steadying as she took a deep breath. "I'll go talk to my dad and hope the conversation isn't too awkward."

Fred gave her a slightly awkward but reassuring smile, patting her arm with his hand outstretched. "Alright, well, good luck, I guess."

As Fred headed back to his tent, Bambi took a deep breath and made her way toward her father's tent, bracing herself for the inevitable conversation.

When Bambi entered the tent, she was surprised to find that Sebastian wasn't there standing waiting for her, but sat perched at his desk, writing something down in his notepad. When she entered, he looked up at her with a singular raised eyebrow, as if daring her to speak first.

Bambi hesitated for a moment, before clearing her throat with a smile, "Morning, Dad," She said, moving toward Monty to fill his food bowl up.

Sebastian's gaze remained steady, his pen poised above the notepad. He didn't say anything, silently daring her to come completely clean herself. He used this tactic when she was a girl, and it always seemed to work- his intense gaze piercing and intimidating.

Bambi busied herself with Monty, trying to avoid meeting his eyes. "So, uh, did you need me for something?" she asked, her voice a bit too light.

Sebastian set his pen down and folded his hands on the desk, still watching her closely. "I think you know why I wanted to speak with you," he said, his tone calm but firm.

"Dad—nothing happened—" Bambi sighed, her face flushing with embarrassment. "We were watching the stars with everyone else, but they all went inside early, so we stayed out and talked a bit more."

"You should have gone to bed when everyone else did," Sebastian interrupted, his voice steady.

"Fred's one of my best friends, I trust him not to do anything weird! And honestly you should trust me too!" Bambi's frustration rose. "I know you're trying looking out for me, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I can handle spending time with my friends without it turning into something it's not."