The Prince's Captain (Garroth X Laurance)

[How He Felt]

Zane hated parties. Mostly because it involved crowds and loud noises—both of which he couldn't stand. He also wasn't good with people in general. Socialising was hard. Unenjoyable. Yet somehow, he found himself spending the last hour cheering up a girl he'd only really known for a week.

Comforting others wasn't something he had any experience with. The only person he'd really cheered up in his life was probably his mother, and even that was something that rarely happened.

To his surprise, Kawaii~Chan seemed to be doing a lot better than she was two hours ago. She was laughing and joking with him, her mind completely distracted from the encounter with Dante.

"Zane, you look spaced out." She suddenly said, seeming more serious than usual. He blinked, pulling his thoughts back to the conversation.

"Oh. Sorry." He muttered. He wanted to keep the conversation going, and he couldn't do that if he kept zoning out.

"Are you okay?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. She didn't want to force him to listen to her ramble if he wasn't interested.

"I'm fine. It's just loud here." He replied, letting out a defeated sigh. He wasn't about to lie to her.

"Yeah... it is, isn't it?" She agreed, giving him an understanding look. "I'm kinda over the party myself, if I'm being honest."

"Already? But we're only a few hours in."

"Yeah... but seeing Dante bummed me out and now everyone's loud and drunk."

"..."

She made a decent point. Everyone was acting pretty obnoxious, which was standard for a high school party. He sat with her in a surprisingly comfortable silence, having nothing to reply with.

"Do you want to come back to my place? Neither of us are enjoying the party and I figured you could see Dandelion if you came home with me." Kawaii~Chan suddenly offered.

Zane was surprised by the offer. Was she implying he stay with her overnight? Where would he sleep? Would her parents be okay with it?

"Huh? Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

"Don't worry, you won't be. I have a spare mattress you can sleep on."

"O-okay, sure, I don't mind. Just let me text Garroth."

Zane pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a message to his brother, letting him know where he was going. He doubted Garroth would see it until the party calmed down, but it was better than nothing.

"Let's go."

He followed her outside, letting her lead the way back to her house. It seemed she was used to walking everywhere, even if it was late at night. He wouldn't usually walk so far in the dark, but he wasn't about to question her on her decisions. It wasn't like he had an issue with it, he was more concerned about her safety.

When they arrived, Kawaii~Chan managed to jump the fence and let Zane in from the inside. Did she just jump over the fence whenever she wanted to get inside her house? Zane couldn't help but find her crazy for that.

The house was much quieter than when Zane had last visited. Two of her older sisters were watching a movie in the living room, while everyone else seemed to be asleep.

Kawaii~Chan let out a relieved sigh as she realises it was only her older sisters awake. If there was anyone who wouldn't care about Zane being here, it was them. They weren't the type to ask questions, and even if they did, they never made it a big deal. Unlike the rest of her siblings.

The older girls didn't seem to question it once they noticed their sister had brought someone with her. Stranger things had happened. They shrugged it off, more interested in their movie than whatever their sister was up to.