Aries nervously rang the doorbell to the watery palace, and soon, the door opened to reveal Aquarius' haughty face.
"Hey, Aries."
The gorgeous mermaid beckoned her in, and the shy Ram followed her.
"Virgo's already here," Aquarius nodded towards her bedroom, and Aries took a deep breath, before entering. Virgo greeted her, and the three female Spirits all sat in silence.
"So… let's begin."
There was an even longer, awkward silence.
"Exactly…" Virgo broke the quiet. "How do we do this 'girls sleepover'?"
Aquarius' nostrils flared. "I don't know, but if that prissy Lucy can have one, so can we!"
Aries sighed as she remembered a few days back. Virgo had popped in to ask Lucy the usual, monthly "Is it time for punishment?", and stumbled upon Lucy having a girls night with Erza, Juvia, Levy, Mirajane, Lissana, and Wendy. The maid Spirit had told Aquarius, who insisted that they had one as well. There weren't many female Celestial Spirits, but the three of them had grown up together since they were young Spirits, so with their friendship, how hard could it be?
Aquarius shook her head. "All right. Aries!"
"Y- Yes?"
Aquarius whipped her hand towards the coral phone. "Call Leo!"
"L- Leo?!" Aries asked incredulously.
"You heard me!"
Aries felt loathe about her best friend finding out about this. He would probably tease her for days!
But Aquarius was a stubborn one.
"He's lived in the Human World for 3 years!" she insisted. "He must know something about these girl sleepovers!"
"But they're for girls!" Aries protested. "He probably doesn't!"
"And besides," Virgo piped up suddenly. "Since we don't know, we can simply do what our instincts tell us. I'm sure it has something to do with punishing each other."
Aries and Aquarius gaped as Virgo began to solemnly strip.
"I'll call him, I'll call him!" the Ram squealed as she picked up the phone and furiously tapped in the number she knew by heart.
Ring… ring…
She was greeted by the sound of a loud lion's roar. She giggled and gently bleated back at him.
"Why's he roaring? Why're they doing that?" Aquarius whispered.
"It's there way of greeting each other," Virgo quietly whispered in return. "Onii-san roars when he answers the phone to warn off the boyfriends of all of his old flames."
"There's no way that could work!" Aquarius scoffed.
"It also apparently keeps telemarketers at bay."
"…"
"Hey, Aries. What's up?"
"Ne, Leo," Aries hesitated. "Um… have you ever had a sleepover?"
"…"
"…?"
"Why, Aries," he said in a perverted tone. "Are you inviting me over to sleep with you?"
"N-No, you idiot!" she shrieked, cheeks pink. "I just… I was just curious as to what girls do during sleepovers!"
"…girls?"
"Human girls," she clarified, and Leo chuckled.
"Oh, I see… well, hm…"
Aries thanked the Spirit King that he wasn't teasing her.
"I guess… I have a general idea. There's a list of things the 'Sorcerer Weekly' said you had to do at a sleepover with your girlfriends. Lucy made me read it to understand the 'female mind' better."
"Sorcerer Weekly?"
"Uh, never mind."
"So did you?"
"Did I what?"
"Understand the female mind better?"
He snorted. "Oh yeah… it helped later when I went to pick up another girl. The female mind thing helped, but the female body was something I already knew."
"What do you-? Leo, you're disgusting!"
"But you still love me," he crooned. She rolled her eyes.
"All right, what's the list?"
"I only remember the basics."
"So list them!"
"Let's see…"
1) Painting nails
"…is this… supposed to be fun…?"
Aries shrugged. "Leo said girls painted nails during sleepovers."
Aquarius rolled her eyes. "Well, we've painted every nail in my house. Now what?"
"…you think we're supposed to hammer them in, too?"
2) Eating popcorn
"What?"
"I guess popped corn?"
"Leave that to me," Virgo said grandly, and brought out a cob of corn.
"Where were you hiding… never mind."
Virgo delicately plucked a kernel off, and squeezed it between her thumb and forefinger until it burst. Or, popped.
"There. Who'd like to eat it?" she asked, holding a dripping mess between her fingers.
"Um… I'm okay," Aries responded timidly.
"Pass."
Virgo shrugged and popped it into her mouth. The two other Spirits watched with bated breath.
"…well…?"
"…"
"…"
"…it does not make me feel any different…"
3) Pillow fight
"What does that mean?"
"I believe we engage in battle. Perhaps in a room full of pillows."
"I don't have a room full of pillows. Besides, I sleep on a water bed. Last thing I want is that exploding."
"I could make a room of wool," Aries suggested, which was immediately shot down by Aquarius.
"Nuh-uh. You're not shooting your pink moe crap everywhere in my house."
4) Doing each other's hair
"Please. I live across the street from Cancer, and he's the only one who's getting near my locks."
One guess as to who said that.
5) Talking about boys
"Ugh…" Aquarius rubbed her temples briefly. "I organized this sleepover to get away from boys!"
She plopped onto her water couch and began to grumpily snack on the corn Virgo had offered her. Aries and Virgo each took a cob and turned to Aquarius tentatively.
"A- Aquarius…?" Aries asked softly. "Are you having problems with Scorpio?"
The blue-haired Spirit sighed. "It's not… too bad. It's just that… well… he's too laidback! He acts like he doesn't care, at all… hell, the other day, that perverted cow Taurus was making googly eyes at my chest and he didn't even bat a sand grain!"
"Well…" Aries hesitated. "Scorpio is known for being rather lax… I'm sure he cares about you, he just doesn't know how to show it quite so well."
Aquarius sunk into an even deeper depression as Aries squeaked.
"Oh, um-!"
"Bah! Never mind!" Aquarius waved a hand. "I don't want to talk about him! Let's talk about you!"
Aries turned pink. "Me?"
Virgo nodded seriously. "When do you plan on forcing Onii-san to settle down?"
"H- Huh…?!"
Aquarius and Virgo exchanged looks.
"Aries, please… everyone knows you drool about him."
"I don't-! That-! That's not-!" Aries' hand shot up to check for drool, her face magenta. "We're not like that!"
"What are you talking about?" Aquarius smirked. "Earlier on the phone… wow… I thought Scorpio and I were corny."
"What?!"
-Flashback?-
"Thank you, Leo-kins," Aries cooed. "You're so smart."
"Anything for my Ari-poo," Leo responded in a sugary sweet tone. "When are you going to let me sleep over?"
Aries giggled, her voice lowering breathlessly. "Whenever you want, Leo-pie."
"Well then…" Leo's voice grew even deeper, smoothly seductive. "I'm going to come over right now to ravage you."
"Ooh, you animal," she squealed. "Leo-cchi, you naughty, naughty kitty."
"Well this kitty wants to-"
-End Flashback-
"THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!" Aries interrupted, face even pinker than her hair. "Ugh! I would never say that to Leo!"
"You never know," Aquarius shrugged. "I bet Leo's a master at dirty phone talk."
"Don't remind me," she said softly, wistfully remembering his list of conquered females, and Aquarius' eyes widened guiltily.
"Aries… I didn't mean-"
"That is not what happened!" Virgo popped in right that moment. "Because this is what did!"
-Flashback?-
"Well, I have to go now."
"You're hanging up first?" Leo growled. "That deserves… punishment."
"Oh, master!" Aries swooned. "Yes, punish me!"
"Tie your hands up!"
Wool spun around Aries wrists as loud orders rang through the phone.
"Blindfold yourself! On your knees! You deserve a spanking!"
-End Flashback-
"I'm surrounded by perverts," Aries buried her face in her hands. Aquarius tapped her chin.
"Hmm… now that you mention it, Virgo, I bet Leo would be in to really freaky things."
"I am not having this conversation," Aries moaned. "What happened to my sane girlfriends?"
"We know what we heard!" Aquarius shouted, as Aries squeaked.
"Um, yes, ma'am. But… actually, I'm pretty sure what happened was…"
-Flashback?-
"W- Well… I have to go."
"M-Me too… I'm sorry."
"N- No! I'm sorry for hanging up!"
"Oh! Well… Well, I'm s- sorry for apologizing!"
"I- I'm sorry I was the reason you had to apologize!"
"No, I'm sor-!"
-End Flashback-
"HELL NO!" Aquarius snarled. "WHY THE HELL ARE BOTH OF YOU ACTING ALL MOE-MOE?!"
"U- Um…"
"If you are that unable to believe Onii-san is into punishment, I would be happy to simply ask him," Virgo added helpfully. Aries groaned and buried her head in her lap.
"Look, I… I do feel something for Leo," she admitted shyly. "But… you know what he's like."
"…"
"…"
"Aquarius, babe, looking good! You still with that pincer loser? You should ditch him and come for a ride with me!"
"Virgo, if you want punishment that badly, come to me. I'll have the ropes and whips ready." (wink)
"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about!" Aquarius coughed.
"Onii-san has frequently mentioned how much he cares about you."
"That's a lie, isn't it Virgo?"
"Yes, indeed it is."
Aquarius sighed as she gave the quivering Ram a sympathetic look. Everyone knew her feelings for the leader of the Zodiac Spirits, except probably himself. Although she was brash, the water Spirit really did want to help her sister.
"What we must do is show Onii-san that you are a desirable Spirit."
"What… do you mean?" Aries asked slowly, as the lightbulb went off above Aquarius' head.
"If you are seen gallivanting with other males, he will feel a primal male instinct take over, and insist you are his property," Virgo responded with a perfectly straight face.
"Eh?!" Aries gasped. "What? That's ridiculous! Leo may be The Lion, but that doesn't mean he acts like a savage!"
"Hey, this is Leo we're talking about," Aquarius shrugged. "He'll probably beat his chest, roar, and take you into his cave where he'll make you his mate and-"
"No, he wouldn't!" Aries interrupted, her face glowing.
"…actually, he might," Aquarius muttered under her breath, before raising her voice. "But Virgo has a point. We need to make you desirable."
"…what do you-?"
"I'm not saying we make Leo jealous," Aquarius said quickly. "I think he's too smart for that. What we should do is make you, you know…"
Aquarius didn't want to use the word "beautiful", as it might upset the other girl.
"Desirable," Virgo finally finished. Aries blinked in confusion.
"You know… ditch the wool dress, show off more skin and bam!" Aquarius waved her hand in the air. "Leo will be getting nosebleeds all the time!"
"B- But… But…"
"So you won't be tricking him. You'll be seducing him!" Aquarius grinned. "We're geniuses!"
Aries felt her cheeks turn hot. "I don't want him to treat me like one of his conquests!"
"What?"
"I don't want to sleep with Leo, only for him to ditch me and claim he'll 'call me later'," Aries tried not to say bitterly. "I've been the one who's had to wipe up some of his old 'girlfriends'' tears, you know."
There was a long silence.
"Do you really believe… Onii-san would do that to you?" Virgo asked seriously. She was not asking rhetorically; no one knew Leo better than his best friend, so Aries could answer honestly.
"I don't know," she sighed. "I don't believe it, but… I was always glad I was different to him. I don't want to turn into another woman who just throws herself at him."
"Then… how about the Centennial?"
"What about it?" Aries furrowed her brow.
"All the Celestial Spirits are attending the Centennial Dance, right?" Aquarius grinned. "You don't have to seduce him, but at least you can have that magical night with him!"
Aries hesitated. "I don't know… I never really treated the Centennial as something special."
"Oh, come on, it's an excuse to dress up!" Aquarius sniffed. "I know I'll be wearing a new dress, one that Scorpio finally notices, hopefully."
"This will be a good thing," Virgo assured her. Aries sighed.
"All… All right."
She really hoped she wouldn't regret this… but the idea of Leo, eyes aglow, jaw dropped as he gazed at her… her stomach began to flutter excitedly.
Who knows… maybe the Centennial will turn out okay.
…and who knew. Sleepovers aren't so bad after all.
