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A Cat and her Two Dogs Chapter Two is UP!

The saga of “dame mas Sophelina” continues. @dlartistanon

You can begin reading 1C2D on FanFiction.net here and on AO3 here. Chapter one on Tumblr is here!

Chapter Two: Let the Sleeping Dogs Lie | The Lost Button

The following day was a Sunday. Better yet, it was a Sunday with no plans.

For any self-respecting teenager, obviously that meant indulging in the simplest of pleasures: sleeping in, eating snacks, and wearing pyjamas all day.

The last vestiges of a steamy dream disappeared from her memory as she sat up in bed with a stretch and a yawn. Several worn mangas with library barcodes on their fronts dropped as she did so, clattering to the tile floor with pointed thumps beside other mangas.

'Wonder what time it is? That was a good rest.'

Nina grabbed her flip-phone from her side table. The display showed the time was 9:21, with orange text below it reading 7 New Messages. Nina absently flipped the clamshell to see what they could possibly say. The gist of it, beyond Ophelia's triple-texting theatrics and Soleil's bad spelling, was like this:

Ophelia (10:04pm) Good night, Nina!

Soleil (7:51am) Hey Nina, I have to tell you something. Can I come to your house later?

Soleil (9:16am) I'm on my way over now. I have chips.

'What? Way to give me no notice!' Nina didn't care that much about her appearance, not around her friends, but she still threw her blanket off of her, sending more mangas to the ground. 'Darn her! What could she possibly have to say that can't wait?!'

Nina retorted through text, "Fine. They better be good, I woke up for this."

And it was at that moment that the door downstairs was knocked. Considering Soleil usually stepped in, either it meant Ophelia was there too, or this was major.

'Kissing-one-of-your-best-friends-major?'

Nina pulled her blanket around her like a cape and went to answer the door. Soleil grinned awkwardly at her. "Sorry about the short notice. It's just really important. Can't stress that enough."

"Uh-huh. Where are those chips you mentioned?"

Soleil unzipped her padded jacket, and a bag of potato chips rolled to the floor. Nina picked it up and said, "Fine. Come in."

They settled in the simple living room, as neither of Nina's parents were home. They never were.

Nina deftly opened her chip bag and popped one into her mouth. "Okay. Cut to the chase."

"Um… Well, it's about the dance last night. I… think Ophelia might like me."

She was being shy, twiddling her thumbs and never keeping eye contact for over five seconds. 'Are you serious?' thought Nina. "Lemme explain! Umm… What I meant to say is, I want to give things a shot between us. And because, like, it'd change the entire group dynamic, you should give me your blessing before I try."

'It feels real. Last night, it was a dream, but now? Totally real. She's beating around the bush in a big way, too.'

"It's customary to ask for others' blessing before you snog someone on the dancefloor."

Soleil's cheeks lit up. "You saw that?"

"I see a lot of things. And to be honest, I saw this coming."

Soleil bit her lip. "Well… Let me explain. I've never felt this way about a girl before. I always really, really like them, and I really, really like Ophelia too, but I think this is love." Her eyes began to twinkle. "I know her so well, and even though I see her everyday, I get a warm feeling in my heart. Everything she does makes me feel so happy I can't lose… And I promise, I'll never break her heart. I-I might've dated around a lot, but I'd never cheat on her or be a jerk." Her gaze met Nina's, nervous. "So, d-do you say yes?"

'But asking me is already moot point, isn't it? She expects me to say yes. And how could I say anything else?'

Nina crossed her arms, grinning wryly to the best of her ability. "You don't really need my blessing. But you have it - go ahead and try pursuing her heart."

Soleil's gaze lit up. "Thank-"

"But may the Gods help you if you break it. You better not try to get in another girl's pants. Don't so much as look at them."

Soleil's posture straightened even more. "I'll never, ever, ever break her heart. Not even close. If you think I'm even close, snap me out of it."

"You better not. And you bet I will."

'She's acting serious for once. Maybe this'll really work.'

"You're the best friend ever, Nina!" Soleil was all smiles as she threw her arms around Nina in a hug. "I'm so happy - thank you so, so much!" It felt strange to be there - Nina never was much for physical contact - but it was even weirder when Soleil pulled away and said, "I won't let our friendship wall to the wayside either, Nina. And I'll never, ever, ever hurt Ophelia. I promise."

Nina closed her eyes and sighed, pulling the . "You better not."

'Only time will tell.'

XXX

"Nina! I have excellent news!"

The next time Nina saw them, it was the next day before class. They were approaching together hand-in-hand, Ophelia waving to Nina as she led Soleil ahead. For her part, Soleil was smiling, more flustered than usual but otherwise overjoyed.

Nina snapped the manga she was reading shut. Ophelia came to a stop and said, "The rehearsal and the practice have been cancelled for today. Such means that I'll be spending the entire afternoon in the presence of my beau!"

'Beau?'

"We were thinking it could be our first date," Soleil explained. "Our first date as real-life girlfriends."

'They've been dating for, like, a day, and they're ALREADY have nicknames? How sweet. And LAME.' "That's fine. I need to sink some time into my fanfics anyway."

"I shall be the first to read that update," Ophelia replied, pumping her fist into the air. A necklace that wasn't there before bounced as she did so, drawing Nina's attention to it.

It was a simple silver chain with a white button attached as a charm. She glanced over at Soleil… and, surely enough, there was a necklace that wasn't there before replacing her usual choker, concealed mostly by her popped collar.

"Should be pretty good," Nina replied absently. 'Curious…'

"Anyway, we should probably get going to breakfast. The line's gonna get long if we don't get in it. Today's Muffin Monday… today's flavor is raspberry!"

"Then let us go onwards!" Ophelia exclaimed, turning to her. "To see to it they are eaten by a chosen heroine!"

Ophelia dashed off. Soleil stared after her for a second before she pursued her with a laugh. "Hey! Save one for meeee!"

'Playing like puppies, chasing each other to get food. Shouldn't have expected anything else.'

There was a tradition back at their middle school: if someone fell in love, they would gift the second button on their school shirt to the one they loved. The reasoning was that the second button was the closest to someone's heart.

'Melodramatic and sappy. Obviously Soleil would love it. Wouldn't pin Ophelia as the type to eat it up, though.' Nina crammed her hands into the pockets at the front of her red hoodie jacket. 'Whatever. Soleil better not screw this up.'

XXX

Homecoming's hype passed at an alarming rate. The school had been racked by a flurry of breakups, first times, and rumors of cheating for a grand total of about two weeks before it faded to the background.

To Nina's slight surprise, Soleil and Ophelia were lasting. Now, that surprise wasn't a slight against Soleil's character - Nina trusted her very much - but she had a reputation for short relationships. A week passed into a month and there was no sign of that famous wandering eye.

There was a time that she thought the wandering eye was totally gone. And that was at hockey practice one early December afternoon.

Ice hockey wasn't really a major-league sport at most schools around the nation - in most districts, basketball, or a form of soccer or American football overtook it in importance. But Rexcalibur high was in the northern part of the country. The higher north you went, the more serious you were about hockey.

Of course, at major sports, there were cheerleaders. Even when astroturf was ice and balls were pucks.

That begged a little explanation. The huge red and gray-emblazoned hockey stadium of the school was big enough to sit a thousand, all elevated above the action. There were two big platforms across from one another. One was for a referee or announcer, who kept non-sporty fans posted. The other was larger and covered with red astroturf. That was where the cheerleaders were.

Soleil would show off, do as well as she always did - maybe score a goal from a yard or two further back. Then she'd skate close enough to the platform to catch a glimpse up their skirts… And other times, after a particularly good practice, Soleil would take one of them on her back and do a victory skate around the rink.

It'd been so embarrassing to watch that Nina kept a hand over her eyes at all times, trying to focus on something, anything else. Even when Ophelia was there she'd been a scalawag.

Now, though?

"You smell so nice today, Ms. Captain," said one the cheerleaders, hand running across her arm. "And you're just as strong as ever…"

Soleil grinned, slight blush on her cheeks. "Thanks! Having cute girls like you and my lovely, chosen girlfriend around always helps me be at my best." She shot a glance to Ophelia, who was sitting beside Nina. Ophelia blew a kiss at her and then returned to reading her book.

"You have one? I'm sorry, I thought I heard you were single."

"I do! She's the greatest, most beautiful, most wonderful girl ever. But thanks for the compliments!"

Now practice was just annoying. Nina growled. 'Shallow bitch. She didn't give a care when she was single.'

"Are you sure you have no weekend plans? Because me and some girlfriends are going to a bowling club this Saturday night, and we'd really like someone strong like you there…"

Nina stormed over on the outer edge of the rink, eyes blazing. "Leave her alone. Or didn't you get the memo that she's taken?"

An ugly glare came at her. "What's it to you, weirdo? Why do you give a care?"

"Hey! Don't call me best friend a weirdo!"

Nina crossed her arms. "You can step away from 'Ms. Captain' right now, or you might find your reputation ruined tomorrow. I have your dirt. I have the pictures."

Cheerleader-girl's eyes narrowed. "Fine. You can have her. I have better things to do."

Then she snootily left. Nina kept glaring daggers at her even when Soleil said, "Gee, Nines, that was scary! You didn't have to bust out that scary stalker knowledge on her over that."

"Like heck I'm gonna let her tempt you," Nina retorted darkly. "I can't stand people like that. Absolutely shallow! She wouldn't have given you a second glance if you weren't already seeing someone."

"It's not illegal to look. And I'm so cute that she couldn't be able to help it, sooooo…"

"...You're kidding, right?"

"It's true. Besides, I wasn't-"

A shrill whistle blew somewhere behind them. Coach Keaton called, "Positions!"

Soleil turned back to her with a grin. "Thanks for trying to keep me in line, Nines - I appreciate it lots! Stay on my case, and with both of us trying and there's no way I'll fail. Just keep up the good work."

Then Soleil skated away.

XXX

Time seemed to go at a quick rate as the winter holidays came upon them.

Had time ever gone so fast in middle school? It felt as if it was rushing past, an unstoppable river. Back then, the years had felt so fast compared to those of elementary school, of juice boxes and recess time. Back then, the time before the holidays seemed to be special and exciting, wrought with coloring pages, cutting paper fir trees, or even Santa-decorated sheets of times tables.

Now it was a time of holiday gossip, the first play of the year, the first big hockey game of the season in the final week, and midterms.

'Not to mention, it's fanfic season. Huddling for warmth, mistletoe, sharing winter sweaters… heheheh, so many juicy situations to write.'

Nina's fingers were deft over fabric as she organized accessories. The backroom of the theatre wing had a ton of stuff, hanging from shelves like bats in a cave; the whole place had the unsettlng feeling of claustrophobia all over it. Each accessory was dirty and probably hadn't been washed for years.

The sound of a sewing machine buzzed in the background. Her fellow first year and a theatre friend Forrest Nohr threaded ornate pink fabric through it, focusing intently on the stitching. Just looking at the boy brought about waves of inspiration. 'Boys making passes at him, believing him to be a girl… falling in love what was on the inside… scrumptious.'

"Hey, where do the pig noses go?" Nina asked him, having found three of them knotted together.

Without even a glance from his work, Forrest replied, "I'd put them with the animal parts. The actors will find them tonight for the farm scene."

Nina did as she was told and threw them into the large, clear container filled with furs and fangs, not even bothering to untangle them.

The play would be a rendition of Alice in Wonderland, with a modern twist. The wonderland would be New York city, where Ophelia would star as a girl from the countryside in a brand new land, guided along by family friend and love interest, who would be played by Shigure Hoshido. The opening night was the next day, and that night was the final one of full rehearsal, four hours of being in full costume for actors.

'Four hours and midterms next week… Geez.'

Just then, the door flew open. Ophelia was there, wearing a simple, yet puffy blue and white dress. "Come! It's nearly stage time!"

Nina ditched a cape in the appropriate pile and went to her side. "Good luck fixing that," she remarked to Forrest before following after Ophelia. Her steps were a lot less bouncy than usual. "You okay, Oph?"

"The chosen star is never phased," Ophelia replied. "But I do have a few problems."

"I'll take care of them. Name the problem people."

"It's nothing like that, not even people!" Ophelia looked briefly panicked. Nina had been told before that she could get a bloodthirsty look in her eye when she got fired up.

She muted her expression and Ophelia continued, "I don't have enough time for anything. After tonight, I'll still have to study for my Biology exam, my very worst subject. I haven't read a book in days. I haven't even eaten since this morning."

Nina frowned. "You didn't eat lunch?"

"I wanted to get more studying in with the Science Guru," Ophelia murmured.

They brushed past a set of sophomores who were pushing a staircase onto the stage. Now they were on the black-topped stage that overlooked the auditorium. "Are you for real? That sounds awful. I'm sorry."

"I'll be fine despite feeling fizzle and flop. As Soleil would say, I should keep my chin up and a smile on my fair face."

"You do that. Just forty-five minutes until break, and then I'll find you something to eat." 'Even if the vending machine's out, it'll just take a quick lunch box raid. Some of these kids are rich.' Nina flashed two thumbs-up, "You can do this."

Then she jumped off the stage and walked up the ramps and steps of the auditorium aisle to reach the sound and lights room at the very top. She took a few moments to get things in order for the first scene of the play (with dim lights and a spotlight over three people, it'd be a bit complex).

'Poor girl. She's hardly even been herself lately. Hasn't seen anyone who isn't in theatre in almost a week, I'd wager.'

'It's putting a serious drain on her, and it's not even close to over. After tonight, there are three performances, and perfection is the rule.'

While his back was turned, Nina grabbed a bag of chips from his lunch box, and hid it under the table.

Nina hadn't promised she'd get them legally, after all.

XXX

"Hey, Ophelia? Close your eyes and open wide."

Somewhere, deep down, there was an ember of a hope that the status quo would return. The days of adjusting ruffled scarves, having little homework, and knowing everybody's name.

Ophelia's cheeks lit up a bit as she did as Soleil instructed. Soleil gathered some yogurt on the tip of the spoon and slowly put it into her mouth.

'Though, if my previous experiences were any indication, they lost their buttons back then. Was there ever a status quo after all if this was happening this whole entire time and I just didn't notice?'

Ophelia swallowed and opened her eyes once more. "That was delectable, like a supernova of raspberry flavor in my mouth!"

Soleil grinned affectionately, meeting her gaze directly. "I don't even know what that means, but you are it."

'Why is it I think about this while just hanging out with my friends? This'd make a great fanfic but now it's just weird!' Nina interrupted the cheesiness with, "'Delectable' means delicious. But when talking about a person it means attractive and likable."

"Thanks, Nina! See? You're both, so I'm two hundred percent accurate. You're so cute."

Ophelia smiled back, blushing. "As are you, chosen partner." Then she yawned.

"You look tired," Nina remarked. 'Compensating for lost time with their sappiness, it seems.'

Soleil gave a nod, giving Ophelia a concerned look. "We're all tired. Oph and I're gonna skip sixth hour together to take a nap."

"That's not a bad idea, and I can spoof the attendance for you," Nina commented. Then she double took. "Wait a sec, you, Soleil? You never skip."

Soleil grinned ruefully. "I don't like it, but Oph can't get canned for not paying attention again in math. If she sleeps on the job she might get detention, which would mean an earful from the theatre peeps."

"You realize that if you get caught you could be suspended from the team, right? I love shirking society through minor disobedience, but there's a reason I'm on no team."

"Oh, that's the one thing I'm sure of. You can tell us where to go to avoid being caught."

"...Fine. Go to the media center. If you go to one of the back couches, the librarian won't care. Stick to the green one in the very back, and security cameras won't even see ya."

Soleil grinned. "Got it! Thanks."

"You never asked my consent for this," Ophelia replied, a hint of a whine in her voice.

"You need it, my Dusk, trust me. 'Sides, it's math." Then Soleil leaned in and kissed her forehead.

'She's talking the talk, but she's never skipped class before. Like, ever.' Nina looked pointedly away as Ophelia softly replied, a blush on her face. 'It's reassuring she's willing to do it to make this relationship work.'

"It'll be fine. Now, close your eyes and open wide. The raspberry train's back."

Nina's stomach squirmed when she left them to their own devices, heading to sixth hour at the end of lunch. Soleil's willingness to do anything for Ophelia, with the honeymoon phase of their relationship seeming to stretch for so long, pointed to at least one fear of Nina's quelled: that Soleil's free heart would cheat.

When Nina came to check on them again after sixth hour, she did so from behind a bookshelf at first. Soleil was sleepily playing with a bit of Ophelia's hair, gazing at her lovingly. Ophelia herself was asleep, her head in Soleil's lap.

Her heart throbbed. 'Damn it. I really am lonely.'

'The thing is, things are too simple, too happy. The happier they are, the harder they'll fall. If they don't argue early on, it's gonna be harder when they do.'

Nina grimaced, but forced herself to smile again as she turned the corner to the other side of the shelf. Soleil didn't look up until she cleared her throat; when she noticed Nina, she regarded her with a smile and a casual wave. "Is class already over?"

"Sixth is. As far as attendance records read, you were there for every second."

"You have outdone yourself, Nines. You have everyone here so under control that it's scary."

Nina smirked. "Someone in this group has to know the system. Are you guys going to seventh hour? Oph and I aren't going to be doing much in theatre. Being showtime tonight and all."

Soleil looked down at Ophelia's sleeping form. "If she won't miss anything, I'd love it more than all the bunny blankets in the whole wide world."

She sounded so genuine that even Nina couldn't find it in her to snark. "Then I'll tell your teacher. You two have a good time resting, okay?"

Nina made to get out, but then Soleil exclaimed, "Wait a second!" Nina turned with widened eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Soleil opened and then closed her mouth for a second, then she said, "I dunno. You've been working real hard lately, too. Gathering information to work the system, updating your fics, studying, theatre. Aren't you tired?"

Nina stuffed her hands into her pockets. "I can deal."

"Okay. That's a bit of a shame. This couch has space for three, y'know."

"Maaaan. I thought the day you'd encourage me to skip would be the one pigs flew."

Soleil giggled. "Well, why don'cha consider it? I miss you too, Nina."

'That'd be nice. Really nice.' Nina grinned, about to consent, but then she noticed Ophelia. "No thanks. We can't really do much with her here sleeping, right? Three's a crowd."

Soleil blinked, then chuckled. "Sorry. If you don't want to spend time with me right now, just tell me this. Do you want to talk about anything at all? Are you sure you're okay?"

'There's plenty we could talk about. Ophelia, extracurriculars, just as friends.' She thought of the squirming sensation in her stomach whenever she saw them being romantic. The loneliness in her heart.

Nina hesitated for a long time. Then she said, "What a stupid question."

"Huh?"

"I'm fine. As I said, I can deal. Don't worry about me."

Soleil looked very worried, though. Her smile was gone. "Nina…"

Nina softened. "Sorry. I'm a bit loopy and tired, is all. I'll nap when I get home. I have to get to class. Oph might not be doing much, but the tech team has a load to do."

"Dohhh, come on. We don't have to talk if you don't want to. You're my friend, too. And I can take a period absence, trust me."

Nina searched her face. Genuine concern, of course. The girl couldn't fake it if she wanted to. Those puppy-dog eyes were a bit hard to resist, though. Nina sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Only because I'm tired."

Then she settled herself on the couch, putting a good bit of distance between her and Soleil… or, more specifically, between herself and the happy couple. The happy couple who was too happy to last, or so Nina thought.

Soleil side-eyed her for a moment, as if baffled at the distance, but soon just sighed and leaned her head back.

Nina grimaced and ignored her, trying her best to drift into a dreamland of her own.

'Even if Soleil's would be faithful, It's gonna happen. They'll argue, and it'll be big. Maybe they'll get past it, or maybe not, but no matter what, it's my job to pick up the pieces.'

The closest Nina got to sleeping was a doze, enough to refresh but not relax.