Shantae was making lunch for the day ahead when Sky emerged groggily from her room. She quickly rushed over and embraced her friend in a tight hug, asking if she was feeling alright.

"I shouldn't have stayed up so late on Monday night," was the response.

"You know I can help you out with taxes, right?" Shantae reminded her, placing her hands on her hips.

"You're young, Shae, you wouldn't understand them," Sky countered, crossing her arms.

"Then maybe you should teach me, bird-brain."

"Well, maybe next time."

"You said that last time!"

"I promise."

"You said that too!"

They laughed, wrapping their arms around each other again. It was true that Sky was the mathematically smarter of the two, considering her course required it, but she had no match against Shantae when talking to people. The younger girl had seemingly endless happiness and charm that Sky, regrettably, could only pair to her naivety and innocence. Still, Shantae had a way with people that she didn't, and that meant more sales, which meant that rent and other costs could be covered a little easier.

"I made you lunch. Your favourite, of course. And I left you a bento box in the fridge for breakfast if you want it," Shantae said, jerking a thumb over to the mentioned appliance.

"Thanks, Shantae, but I don't really feel like it right now."

"Then don't complain when it's gone before dinner."

"You have an unhealthy addiction to those, you know?" Sky smirked and tousled Shantae's hair, earning an annoyed huff from her. "We better get going. I'll stop by a coffee shop on the way."

Shantae nodded, grabbing her handbag and cat-eye sunglasses, knowing it would be a sunny day ahead. Sky finished tying her hood and feeding Wrench, before grabbing the keys and heading out to the car.

They arrived a half hour later, a coffee in each of their hands. As they entered the shop through the back door, Shantae realised she had forgotten to talk to Sky about how she felt about the woman she met yesterday. It would have to wait until later now.

After making the rounds to each enclosure, and stocking up any empty shelves, Sky opened store at 9:30am. The day itself was rather ordinary, but both girls worked the counter today, only separating when having to retrieve an item from the storeroom or showcase products or animals to customers.

It was around the end of the day, half an hour before closing, when a particular customer came in while Sky was restocking a shelf. Shantae was taking a drink from her bottle, and upon noticing the customer, she put it down straight away and smiled.

"Out of food already?"

The apparent schoolgirl smiled back, shaking her head.

"No, I was hoping to see-"

"Hey, Shantae, do you know where—oh." Sky narrowed her eyes at the girl, who didn't seem scared or worried in the slightest. "What do you want?"

"Sky…"

"What I want is to apologise for my behaviour yesterday. It was unnecessary and frankly a little rude, considering you looked like you had had a bad day." The girl looked dead serious, a look that didn't really suit her.

"Right… well, apology accepted, I guess," Sky said, scanning over the girl for any signs of being ingenuine.

"Awesome!" The girl sang, clapping her hands together next to her face. "Name's Rottytops, by the way," she continued, sticking out her hand for a handshake.

"Rottytops? Are you serious?" Sky asked in a disbelieving tone, tentatively taking Rottytops' hand.

"Yep! Rotty for short! It's a nickname, but I like it! Besides, Sky seems just as unique. It's a pretty name that fits a pretty girl! I, uh… whoops. Sorry."

Sky looked down at her tag, then looked back up at Rotty. She formed a small smile, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"It's fine, really." Letting go of Rotty's hand, she instinctively placed her own on the computer keyboard. "Is there anything you came by for?"

"Nope! That was it! I'll probably be dropping by a little more though. My brother's hamster eats through food like a hamster eating through food but faster than normal. Plus, I'll get to see not one, but two pretty girls!" She winked at Shantae, who averted her eyes in embarrassment. They landed on Sky, who was also blushing. Apparently the blonde's dismissal of the previous flirt had been taken as permission by Rottytops to continue flirting.

"R-right, we'll see you at one point or another?" Sky asked, still flustered.

"You can bet on it! See ya!" With that, the schoolgirl strutted out of the shop, waving goodbye as she did so. When she was out of sight, both girls let out a breath neither of them knew they were holding in the first place.

"Well, that was… interesting. I like her, if a little… odd," Shantae said, a tiny grin on her face.

"Yeah… she was… alright. Seems like a hassle to be around, though," Sky muttered, shaking her head. "I don't like her."

"Sky! You can't just judge people like that! She flirted with you a few times, so what? You get it all the time from boys, and you couldn't care less."

"She just seems… annoying. Can you serve her whenever she comes by?"

"Sky!" Shantae looked at her friend in shock. She had never seen Sky so against someone without a proper reason. In fact, she only genuinely disliked one person, and it was a girl named Holly who had kept bullying Shantae in high school until Sky dealt with her. And by dealt with her, she meant Sky had ruined Holly's reputation so badly that barely anybody remembered her.

"I don't like the air around her," Sky said, pretending to focus on whatever was on the computer screen. Shantae groaned, spinning the taller girl around.

"What's your problem?" She growled, staring Sky right in the eyes, ocean blue eyes meeting amethyst purple. "And don't even think about saying 'nothing.'"

Sky sighed, brushing Shantae's hand off her shoulder.

"What she said yesterday made me rather uncomfortable, even if it was well-meant. And no, before you ask, I'm not going to repeat what she said."

"Why didn't you tell her that then?"

"I didn't expect to see her today, and it's something I don't want to discuss with you to witness." Sky turned around again, back on the computer, this time actually doing something on it. Shantae couldn't care less about what she was doing, wanting to know where this attitude was stemming from. Yet, at the same time, she knew it wasn't really her business. Sky would tell her if she needed to.

"I'm sure she's fine. You just had a bad start. Next time she comes in, I'll go restock something, or check the animals, alright?" Shantae put her hand back on Sky's shoulder, but this time as a gesture of support. Sky's head dipped.

"Alright."

Shantae took her hand off and reached for a recent paper detailing upcoming sales, before remembering she had to ask Sky about her situation. Now seemed a good a time as any. It would also take the birdkeeper's mind off of what had just happened.

"Oh, by the way, what does a crush feel like?"

The blonde stiffened a little, before turning her head to look at the purplette with a grin.

"Do you have a crush?" she asked in a voice, using a tone between teasing and pride.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you, bird-brain!" Shantae huffed, crossing her arms. Sky sidled over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Who is this person and how do you feel when you think or speak about them?"

"Well, you see…"

At that moment, Shantae noticed a customer hailing her from one of the shelves, looking for some help.

"I'll tell you at home," she said, moving out from behind the counter. Sky nodded, looking forward to the teasing opportunities she would soon be able to make use of.

"So, what you're telling me is that you have a crush on a woman who's clearly older than you, and has pet squids?"

Sky asked her question, partially teasing Shantae while also partially being in shock at the revelation.

"Well, I don't know what a crush feels like! That's why I'm asking you for help, but clearly you just want to be mean."

"I'm just teasing, Shae, and you know it."

"But when I tease you about your crushes you get all defensive and angry about it," Shantae muttered, rolling her eyes.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You suck," Sky giggled, lightly punching her friend in the shoulder. Shantae smiled in return. "It does sound like a crush. Best way to find out is to speak to her more, right?"

Sky's suggestion had Shantae turn white. Talk to her, now that she knew, or at least had a very good idea, that she a crush? What if she messed up? What if she let it slip? What if she cost Sky a customer?

The latter made the purplette steel herself, resolving to not let Sky down. She owed her that much, at least.

"You'll be fine, Shae," Sky said, picking up on the teen's worry. "You have much better people skills than I do."

"I'll do my best."

"So when is she coming by again?" Sky asked, breaking Shantae out of her mini panic attack.

"Tomorrow, around 4PM. After we unload and restock everything," she replied.

"Bolo is back tomorrow morning. He'll help us in the afternoon, but I don't want to make him do too much work, so expect a bigger than normal workload."

Shantae nodded at her friend's words.

"Got it."

"Awesome! Now, what do you want for dinner?"

The next day went by quickly. Among serving customers and feeding the animals, the large shipment had both girls away from the counter for long periods of time. Bolo did end up coming around mid-afternoon, helping them with the heavier deliveries and doing what he could to lighten the load that the girls had. He might not be the smartest of people, but he was very considerate and most definitely a supportive and cherished friend.

Together, they managed to unload the last pallet of cat trees and dog kennels, Bolo telling the girls that he would place them where they needed to go, and that they should take a break. Sky refused, instead taking up her spot at the counter, and Shantae went to go prepare the fish that Risky would be coming in to collect soon.

"Risky…"

Whispering the name to herself sent a tingly feeling of joy throughout her as she poured in water nutrients and chemicals to each tank, varying the amount each time so that no fish would die, or even worse, randomly explode overnight. Well, that's the story she told Sky anyway. She wasn't about to own up to accidentally dropping a water-proof firecracker in the tank, which was luckily empty. Judging by the look Sky gave her when she told the story, she didn't believe her at all. The cameras probably caught it anyway.

"Hello there."

The voice made her jump and feel bliss at the same time, and spinning around, she was met with Risky, who was wearing a rather revealing blouse and somewhat formal pants today. She grinned goofily, saying the first thing that came to her head;

"General Kenobi."

Amazing. Just amazing. Out of all the things she could say, it was that. Too much time browsing certain sites…

Instead Risky giggled, covering her mouth with a perfect hand.

"I see you understand some pop culture. Well done. Are my fish here?"

Shantae grinned again, her lips threatening to split her face apart with how big she was smiling. She beckoned Risky to follow her, leading her to a tank that was empty when the older woman first came in.

"They're all here! I believe you reserved… twelve," Shantae said with glee, quickly checking her notebook.

"I might bump that to fourteen."

"Sure thing!" The purplette scribbled down the amount on her notepad, checking the price of the fish and calculating the total amount. She couldn't believe she hadn't tripped up on any of her words yet, and she wasn't going to change that now. "That comes to 364 gems in total! I'm assuming you have all the correct water chemicals and the habitat set up?"

"Correct," Risky nodded.

"Great! I'll just bag them and… uh…"

Risky raised an eyebrow, turning to see at what Shantae was staring at. The blonde girl she had just asked for Shantae's whereabouts seemed to have dragged a brown-haired girl away and was having a stern chat with her. She turned back to Shantae, who looked a little worried.

"Would you like me to break them up?"

Shantae whipped her head towards her, outstretching her hands and shaking her head.

"Nonononono, I said I'd let Sky deal with it, c-can we just wait a bit and give them some privacy?"

"Privacy in a pet store, right next to the counter?" Risky asked with a raised eyebrow. Shantae groaned in embarrassment.

"Y-you know what I mean! Is there something else we can talk about? Like… like what does your aquarium look like, do you have any other pets, can I have your number, what do you work as—"

Shantae slammed a hand over her own mouth - so hard she was surprised she didn't knock out a tooth - as she realised what she had just said. Her face burned a bright red, terrified to look at the lilac-haired woman who was meant to be her customer. She buried her head in her hands, hoping the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She wasn't even a hundred percent sure if it was a crush or not yet, and there was no way she had a chance. What if she was already married? Why didn't she ask about that first? Well, it would be weird being asked if you were married by someone you met briefly two days ago.

A throat clearing caused her to split two fingers apart and peek through them to see Risky holding out her dropped notebook. She tentatively took it back, noticing new marks on it. She must've dropped the pen on a weird angle and—

Oh.

It was a number. Her number. Risky's number. She struggled to form any sort of coherent words, stuttering and stopping while still burning red the entire time. Risky shook her head in annoyance, knocking on the top of Shantae's head. When the girl looked up at her with a glare, she spoke again.

"I need someone to help me introduce the fish to the tank and make sure everything is up to scratch. You are capable of this, correct?"

Shantae nodded her head, too scared to speak lest she become a bumbling mess.

"Very well. I will pick you up from here tomorrow at five, when you finish your work." It wasn't a request, but more of a demand. There was no choice here. Not that Shantae was complaining.

"O-okay," she managed to squeak out, both extremely excited and embarrassed.

"I believe your friend is done, so I'll pay for the fish now," Risky said, tilting her head towards the counter. Sky was leaning against it, a neutral look on her face. Neutral to anyone but Shantae. She could see the annoyance in those purple orbs.

Nodding again, she bagged the fish, placing them on a trolley and taking it to the counter.

"Do you have a separate tank for the night then?" She asked on the way, carefully wheeling the cart past the hermit crab terrariums.

"I do," was the simple answer.

Sky looked up when she reached the counter, showing no signs of frustration, but Shantae knew it was there. She silently logged the sale into the computer as Shantae spoke to Risky.

"Y-yeah, um, 364 gems p-please," she stammered. Sky looked at her in shock while Risky smirked and handed her a few large gems.

"Keep the change," she purred, sending even more heavenly shockwaves through Shantae. She was about to faint if this kept up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"S-sure thing, Risky" Shantae said with a smile, it naturally growing into a larger grin. Risky took her purchased fish with her, the last sight of her being her lilac hair flowing behind her.

As soon as she had left, the purplette deflated out of exhaustion from keeping all her excitement pent up. Shaking it off, she began the closing ritual before Sky stopped her.

"What was that?" she questioned.

"What was what?"

"You? Stuttering? Shaking? Stammering and nervous? You have it so bad," Sky laughed, tousling Shantae's hair again while the younger girl tried to bat her away.

"Shut up! What happened between you and Rotty?"

Sky's laughter instantly died off, replaced by a low growl.

"Don't even go there."

Shantae narrowed her eyes. Though she respected Sky's privacy, she didn't like seeing the blonde in such a state.

"No, Sky. We're talking about this whether you like it or not. Once we get home, you're spilling it, alright?" She spoke firmly, but not so harshly that Sky would block her out completely. Getting an annoyed huff in response, Shantae continued to close the store down with Sky, her happy mood slightly dampened.

"Well?"

The duo were in the car at home, but Shantae wanted Sky to open up to her. The ride home had been silent and awkward, tension thick in the air. She hadn't even waited until the car had stopped, questioning the girl as soon as she had entered the garage.

Sighing, Sky turned off the car and leaned back in her seat, staring absently at the roof. Shantae waited patiently for her to begin talking, fiddling with the end of her ponytail.

"I told her how I felt the first day and she was really apologetic, but I kept going and going and going… then she gave me her number and asked if we could at least be friends because she doesn't have many and I…" the blonde was on the verge of tears, and Shantae realised she had misunderstood the whole situation. Sky hadn't been frustrated at Rottytops; she was frustrated at her own actions. Maybe forcing her to spill wasn't such a good idea after all.

"You don't have to keep going if you don't—"

"I insulted her, Shantae. I went from zero to a hundred unnecessarily. She got mad and we started fighting and then she just upped and left. I feel so bad… so, so bad…" A tear slipped down Sky's cheek, and Shantae was instantly there to hold her, wrapping her arms around Sky's neck and pulling her in. The birdkeeper tried her very best not to cry ever, especially in front of Shantae, but there were times when it was all too much. Stress from work, taxes, studying, or like now, dealing with people, got to Sky sometimes, but Shantae was always there for her.

Granted, Sky managed to prevent herself from crying. Taking in a few shaky breaths, she pushed Shantae off, her next words quiet and cracked.

"I don't know what to do."

"Text her. Say you're sorry and want to meet up and try again. Something tells me that's what you want, isn't it?" Sky looked at Shantae, nodding slowly. "Why did you not like her in the first place, though? You're normally okay with everything."

"She just reminded me of certain someone we- I didn't like at first. Her apologies before I blew it proved that she's not like that."

"Good. Text her now," Shantae said, pulling Sky's phone from her purse and handing it to her.

"Do you think she'll answer?" the blonde asked tentatively.

"Only one way to find out."

As Sky began to construct her text, the younger teen watched her carefully. The blonde was known for being rather hotheaded and easily affected by her emotions, which is why Shantae usually dealt with the customers more often than Sky did. However, Sky also made sure to correct all her mistakes. Shantae knew that Sky cared about this girl more than she let on – she wouldn't be at a state of near-crying or regret otherwise. Sky's hesitance to send the text implied that there was a little more at stake than keeping Rottytops as a customer.

It seemed that this girl had managed to work her way and prove herself to Sky enough that she wanted to be friends with someone outside of Shantae or Bolo, and in such a short amount of time too. While it was a step in the right direction, Shantae couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy that she would have to share Sky with another person. Still, she was her friend, and she would receive all the support she needed.

Sky's finger hovered over the SEND button, and Shantae went to encourage her, but the blonde pressed it just as she opened her mouth. Letting out a sigh of relief, and perhaps anxiousness, Sky started up the car again and backed out of the garage.

"Where are we going?" Shantae asked, surprised at her friend's sudden turn of attitude.

"Let's go out to eat tonight. We deserve it. And I want to hear all about this Risky woman so I can tease you about how much she broke you today," Sky replied with a smile, effectively placing a smile on Shantae's face to see her in a better mood.

"If you must," she murmured in response. She looked at her own phone, deciding that maybe she should text Risky. Sky texted Rottytops, so it was only fair. Typing out a quick text, Shantae hit the send button before she could have any doubts, also hitting the star to favourite Risky as a contact.

Hi Risky, it's Shantae! Just wanted to say hiiii :D

Within a few minutes, Shantae got a response that sent her heart racing and a large grin across her face.

Took you long enough to text me. Before you ask; no. I am not seeing anyone nor am I married. I'll see you tomorrow.

It seems like Risky was interested too.

Woo! Chapter 2 done!

I wrote this immediately after chapter one before my holiday so it might be a little bit rough as I've only had two days of editing and I wanted to stick to the fortnightly schedule I've given myself. I'm mostly worried whether I have good pacing or not.

Anyway, I'm still screwed up by jet lag so once again I'm too tired to think of anything good for this section. Or maybe I'm just not good at it full stop.

As always, reviews, faves/follows, criticism, and feedback are all welcome!

Till next time,

-Tommycats