Aarmau: Steps by ThatCutieKitten

Chapter 15: Mira's Past

Aphmau and Aaron were awakened by the sound of a clicking camera.  They woke up and saw Kawaii~Chan, standing at the foot of Aaron's bed. Aphmau yawned. "Why are you taking pictures of me?" she asked. Kawaii~Chan jumped around. "I know Kawaii~Chan's ship already sailed, but it docked at the next level!" Aphmau looked over at her bed in a hazy vision. It was completely empty, and she heard two voices, one she could tell was Kawaii~Chan's. She slowly turned around and saw Aaron, who was staring hazily back at her. "You two were SLEEPING together!" Kawaii~Chan squealed as she snapped another picture. Aaron and Aphmau looked at each other and fell out of bed. Aphmau fell with the blankets and Aaron hit his head on the bedside cabinet. Aphmau panicked. "I was sleeping with a 26-year old?!" she screeched. Aaron rubbed the back of his head. "I feel no surprise. Aphmau's like, 25?" 

Aphmau and Aaron stood up and argued. "WHY did you pull me out of bed?" Aphmau yelled. Aaron sighed. "If I am correct, you asked to sleep with me because of some stupid noise." They argued on, until a knock came at the door. Kawaii~Chan politely opened it, and Llamalei stood there, with her tail holding a platter of pancakes and orange juice. "Llamalei~Chan!" Kawaii~Chan gushed. Llamalei nodded and heard the quarreling. She walked in and set the platter down on Kawaii~Chan's bedside cabinet. "Mr. Maskman? And..." Llamalei looked up and down at Aphmau. "Mrs. Maskman, I dunno. Why are you two fighting?" Aaron and Aphmau stopped and looked at Llamalei. They smiled and stood in front of Aaron's bed, hugging each other. "Who's fighting?" Aphmau squeaked. Llamalei crossed her arms and smiled. "I think I know who you are," she said as she pulled out her phone. "Aphmau~Senpai?" Aphmau freaked. "How do you know who I am?" Llamalei stuffed her phone in front of Aphmau's face.

"Kawaii~Chan's Twitter page," Llamalei stated as she took back her phone, "Aphmau~Senpai and Aaron~Kun sleeping happily together, #Aarmau, #Lovelife, #Thecutestcouple, #Gonnabesurprisedwhentheywakeup." As Llamalei read on the hashtags,  Aaron and Aphmau talked. "The cutest couple?" Aphmau asked. Aaron looked at Aphmau. They kissed for minutes as Kawaii~Chan and Llamalei went through the hashtags. "...#twokids, #Drunk, and #Maskedbeauty." Llamalei finished. Kawaii~Chan looked up from the phone and saw Aaron and Aphmau kissing. "Ooo, cute couple kissing!" Llamalei smirked. Kawaii~Chan pulled out her phone and took pictures. Aphmau looked at Kawaii~Chan and freaked. She tripped and fell with Aaron onto his bed. Kawaii~Chan was practically screaming and crying. "KAWAII~CHAN IS GONNA GET KATELYN~SAMA ON FACE CHAT!" Aaron shivered. "Please don't get Katelyn. If she sees this, it might be the end of me." Kawaii~Chan looked at Aaron in an odd way. "Okay..." she sighed. Llamalei picked up the tray of food with her tail and handed it to Aphmau. "This is your breakfast. I hope you enjoy it." Llamalei left and quietly shut the door.

Aphmau giggled and sat up. "We might as well get dressed." Aaron nodded and walked to the bathroom. Aphmau watched him enter the bathroom and shut the door. "Can Kawaii~Chan tell Aaron~Kun that his head is bleeding?" Kawaii~Chan asked. Aphmau snapped out of her daze and ran to the bathroom. "AARON!" she screamed. He walked out of the bathroom with his clothes already on. "You're dressed already?" Aphmau asked. Kawaii~Chan scrolled through her phone. "Of course Aaron~Kun is, there's not much to put on." Aaron was leaning against the bathroom door. "Was there something wrong?" he asked. Aphmau jerked him over so that he was bending down. She snatched his hood off and searched through his hair. "Aphmau, what exactly are you doing?" Aaron asked. "Your head is BLEEDING." She yelled. Aaron stood up and touched the back of his head. "Oh."

Aaron and Aphmau walked into the bathroom and tried to wrap a bandage around Aaron's head. "You're...too...DIFFICULT!" Aphmau yelled as she climbed onto Aaron's back. "I'm not really that tall," Aaron sighed, "I don't know why you're struggling." Aphmau stood on the toilet. "I need a good angle!" After 10 minutes of shouting and wrapping, Aaron and Aphmau walked out of the bathroom. Kawaii~Chan left, leaving a note on her bed in bright pink ink. Aphmau picked up the note and read it aloud. "Kawaii~Chan is going with Llamalei~Chan to a cafe for lunch. Also, Kawaii~Chan wanted to give Aaron~Kun and Aphmau~Senpai some alone time." Aaron sat on his bed and laughed. "We can go out too." Aphmau giggled and held Aaron's hand as they walked out of their hotel room. They traveled and talked down the hall and into the elevator down to the lobby.

When they walked past the front desk, Mira tapped a clipboard with her nail file. Aaron cringed at the sound, knowing what comments Mira would say. Aaron turned around, but Mira wasn't looking at him at all. "Sonny boy, know what we talked about yesterday?" Mira asked. Aaron shook his head. Mira got up and slammed her hands on the desk. "Did you even TRY thinking? Or is that bandanna cutting off the blood circulation to your brain?" Aaron was nervous about Mira. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Aaron replied. Mira crossed her arms. "All morning I've checked Twitter and there is NO trend that includes open sweaters AND open zippers." Aaron looked down and rushed to the bathroom. Aphmau stomped up to the front desk and argued with Mira. "Why do you have to do this to him? He has an injury and he's done nothing wrong."

Mira narrowed her eyes at Aphmau and leaned over her desk. She beckoned Aphmau to come closer. "The reason why I'm hard on him is because-" Mira looked around. "This hotel doesn't need another pregnancy test crisis." Aphmau jerked. "WHAT?! Why would you think that I'm- wait wait, it's just the poofyness  of my sweater and the ice cream cravings are normal!" she whispered-shouted. Mira sighed and sat down. "I'm gonna tell you a story." Aphmau raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "About what?" Mira held her hands. "This story is about how I found my own 'Mr. Maskman' in this very hotel."

"It was 1972, when all of it happened. I was here on a business trip to get a job with a tax company. The company had its first meeting in the lounge area where I met my Mr. Maskman. His name was Jonathan Kiwa,  and he was dazzling handsome. We shook hands and talked for a while, until late at night. I walked out the lounge room door, but he snatched my hand and made me face him. He asked, 'Would you like to go out to a cafe tomorrow?' I nodded and walked upstairs to my hotel room and slept. I dreamed of him all night, until I woke up. Long story short, after that cafe date, we went on many dates afterwards, until he asked me to marry him. I said yes, obviously, and years later, in room 214, I gave birth to Llamalei Chibi Kiwa, who fell on the floor right after she was born. Her father was driving here, trying to see Llamalei in time. Through the large window, I saw two cars crash. I practically-" Mira choked and held back her tears. "I...watched my husband die. I held Llamalei in my arms, trying to deal with having to tell her that her father is gone. Instead, I compromised. I never told her, and whenever she asked, I replied with 'He left for another woman.' So what I'm trying to tell you is, don't be married, pregnant, or in any case love-related, don't come to this hotel unless you want that love to be broken."

Aphmau was in tears. "I-I never knew that..." Mira sat back in her chair. "So Mr. Maskman in there? Either end it now or this hotel will end it for you. Or leave. It's your choice." Mira said as she set her feet on the desk. Aphmau clenched her fists and wiped her tears. "Nothing can stop me from loving Aaron. What other evidence do you have to prove that this hotel is a love-sinker?" Mira picked up a picture of her husband. "Because I wasn't the only one. Donna died in 1975, falling off a balcony. Mitchell ran out into the street and was ran over by a car trying to run away from his girlfriend in 1990. And Ava's husband ran away, never to be seen again. This hotel does stuff to people, it makes them dwell on the past. Makes them dwell so much they work on it. Ava is sweeping over there right now." Aphmau looked to her left and saw an old lady sweeping dirt out the door. "Aaron is strong enough. He can handle it."

Mira rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised he can handle you. Don't think I didn't see that Twitter post by some cat girl." Aphmau was alerted. "WHAT?!" Mira nodded. "Mm-hm, has 5,000 retweets and 30,000 likes." Aphmau ran and banged on the men's bathroom door. "Aaron! It's time to go!" she shouted. Aaron walked out the bathroom and looked at Aphmau's face. Her cheeks were stained with black mascara. "Were you crying?" he asked. Aphmau hugged him and kissed him. In between the kiss, Aphmau tried to speak. "Please don't...ever...leave me." Aaron stopped kissing her and hugged her. "Do you need a new pony?" Aphmau looked up at him and nodded. Aaron picked her up like a baby and hey walked outside. Behind him, Mira stared at Aphmau. 

After walking through busy streets, Aaron and Aphmau came across an odd sound. Aaron stopped and put Aphmau down. "Okay, I understand that I'm heavy, but I lay off the ice cream to a bucket a week-" Aphmau was interrupted by the same sound. They wandered around, trying to find the source. Aphmau walked down an alley and peeked behind a large garbage can. She teared up at what she saw.