Net lifted his head from his breakfast—his wife Maru, and children Chihiro and Kanata, dining with him—as the golden clock just outside his large, wooden farmhouse chimed the hour. When he departed from the house, checking his mailbox along the way, he gasped.
"Oh, that's right!" He flipped through the letters, magazines, Joja spam ads, and Pierre "coupons" (though they were hardly bargains, except, perhaps, for Pierre). The piece of mail that caught Net's eye was a plain, white envelope with the mayor's seal on it. "His birthday BBQ!"
"Did someone say BBQ?!" The door of the next house over practically slammed open as a small head with short, black hair, black eyes, and square, golden glasses poked out. "Oooh, I love me some BBQ!" It was Net's annoying little cousin, Boggle, even though they looked nothing alike. Net also had short, dark hair (both on his head and on his face) and eyes, but his skin was a rich brown, only a few shades different from his wife's. Boggle's skin, meanwhile, was much lighter, more similar to…
"You friendly fata—" Another door opened, and out came a woman who looked similar to Boggle, save that she was taller and thinner with longer hair. Her name was Snorlax891, a friend from back home that Net and Boggle invited to live with them on the farm. For whatever reason, Snorlax891 accepted, and then there were three, but the "family" wasn't done growing yet…
"Sup guys?" Unwittingly interrupting Snorlax891 was the resident of the fourth and final cabin. He was a man with long, brown hair, dressed all in black, a hippie mixed with a punk, and another friend from back home. He flashed a peace sign as he joined the others at Net's porch.
"The BBQ is today," Net explained, holding up the mayor's invitation. "Are we going?"
"Do we have to…?" Boggle sighed, and it was hard to tell if she was joking or not.
"Sure, so long as I can take Penny," Snorlax891 shrugged at the same time. Oh yes, even at four, the Bog Buds Farm was not done growing. Along the way, each of them managed to get married (Net to Maru, Snorlax891 to Penny, and Alex to Elliot), except Boggle who instead took a roommate.
"What of you, Krobus?" Elliot asked Boggle's roommate as he took his place beside his husband, Alex.
"Oh! I- I- I don't know… You know I don't like being seen… by people… they… they… don't really like creatures like me…" Krobus seemed to wilt, scuffing a foot on the wood floor of the porch as he looked down, though it was hard to tell since he didn't have a neck. But folds appeared on his black body, beneath his mouth. He was the very last to leave his cabin, even more asocial than his platonic roommate, Boggle.
"Don't worry, Krobus, you have us! We won't let anyone bother you!" Penny promised, joining Snorlax891 at her side. Snorlax891 turned to look at her wife, smirk turning into a smile. Before she could say anything, though, Boggle did.
"Yeah! We'll protect ya! I'm bringing my Infinity Blade!" She drew the sword from her inventory and raised it proudly. Net's face went deadpan, Snorlax891 and Alex snickered, and Penny, Krobus, and Elliot all looked mildly concerned. Maru was the first to break the awkward silence.
"I'll call Harvey and ask if he can bring an extra first aid kit," she sighed. Then she flashed Net a knowing smile. As the co-leaders of the Bog Buds Farm (even though Boggle and Net were the co-founders), they were used to being the most mature and responsible of the odd family.
ooo
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAYOR LEWIS!" Over 30 unique voices shouted into the evening sky as the BBQ began in earnest, heaping plates and piles of food, meat, and drink spread around to all the partygoers as laughter, chatter, and music filled the air. For a time, everything was perfect.
Net was quick to take the dancefloor with his wife, taking her hand, and dragging her not just to the floor, but the very center. She started off shy and uncertain, but as Net confidently spun her round and round, the music, joy, and laughter became infectious.
"C'mon, Pen-Pen, let's dance!" Snorlax891 pleaded, holding out her hand to her wife after seeing Net and Maru. I can do that too, Net!
"Once Maru and Net are done!" Penny laughed back as she gestured to the three little ones running back and forth between her and her mother. The slightly older two were Net and Maru's children while the youngest third was Penny and Snorlax891's son, Atticus.
Snorlax891 pouted as she watched the children play back and forth between Penny and Pam. Even though Pam was just shy of three months sober at this point, Snorlax891 still wasn't a big fan of her mother in law. Why can't she just dance off into a keg of fruit wine or something, or go get hit by a bus so I can hit on Penny without her always around?! And I don't think I want to leave my son alone with Pam, so… Ugh.
Elliot and Alex danced together too, their long hair flowing. "You know? When this song is finished, I should break out my guitar," Alex grinned, and Elliot's eyes lit up in delight. Thanks to Alex, he could strum a few chords too, and he was fast finding music just as romantic as story. In either case, it was words from the heart, set to a beautiful rhythm that could connect people across space and time. Elliot never would've imagined himself marrying a trans man, but in a way, it was poetic and perfect. They were both longing for connection, understanding, and visibility. So was…
"S-s-sorry I don't… take you dancing…" said Krobus quietly, little feet swinging slowly back and forth as he and Boggle sat side by side at one of the long, wooden tables, hidden near the back away from the prying eyes of others. Boggle was happily stuffing her face with rubs.
"Isssh ok, Krobussh!" Boggle grinned through a mouthful. She gulped it down forcefully, void mayo dripping down her chin. "I don't like dancing anyway!" Maybe Krobus thought poorly of himself, but Boggle meant it when she said that she considered their intertwined stories perfect.
Never thought I'd partner up with ANYBODY. Just thought I was here to move in with my cousin and help him out on the farm. And yet, life had a funny way of throwing curveballs. After meeting Krobus, and learning that he desired companionship, but only of the platonic variety, Boggle was instantly intrigued. There was more than one type of love, after all, and romance and sexuality were not any better or worse.
If anything, NET'S the boring normie here! Boggle chuckled. Of the four couples, he and Maru seemed the most logical, boring, and plain. Alex and Elliot were well-matched, but both highly eccentric. And the entire farm was still trying to figure out what the heck Penny saw in Snorlax891.
ooo
"Uhhh, excuse me? Who invited… that thing here?" Like a wrong note played at the wrong time, the voice that called out to Boggle and Krobus—Pierre's—was crashing, discordant, a pain to listen to, and a complete contrast to the rest of the atmosphere of the evening.
"Uhhh, uhhh, uhhh…!" Krobus looked left and right frantically. Those closest to Pierre heard the disgust in his voice and turned around. It set off a chain reaction, and everywhere poor Krobus looked, someone was staring. The sky was still too bright to hide him.
"Hey now, it's a free country," Boggle frowned, setting her void-mayo-slathered ribs down for the first time that evening.
"Right! He isn't hurting anyone!" Penny nodded fiercely. "So just leave him alone!"
"But Mayor Lewis didn't invite it!" Pierre continued disdainfully.
"Excuse you! Krobus' pronouns are he/they!" Boggle interrupted with a snap, jumping to her feet. She rested a hand on the hilt of her Infinity Blade.
"Boggle!" Krobus pleaded. He identified as a male Shadow Person, but Shadow Person gender wasn't a 1:1 with human person gender. As much as I appreciate her standing up for me, I don't want her to get hurt! Or arrested!
"Plus, Lewis invited the entire Bog Buds Farm, for some stupid reason!" Snorlax891 scoffed, flicking her long, dark hair disdainfully too.
"Honestly, you are the one he should've blacklisted!" Boggle whispered, smirking despite the seriousness of the confrontation.
"You shouldn't even have been allowed to move into Pelican Town!" Snorlax891 bantered back, smirking too. "Even the mines don't want you!"
"Ahem!" Penny cleared her throat, and when Boggle and Snorlax891 turned to her, her eyes darted to Pierre. Mayor Lewis was approaching too…
"What's going on here?" Net's voice cut through the air, and although it surprised his farmers, they sighed in relief at the same time. Maru was still on Net's arm, and she was much quicker to get a read on the situation. Alex and Elliot followed after them.
"Hey, man, chill, Krobus is just tryin' to enjoy the party with his roommate, just like any of us," Alex said, trying to sound even mellower than usual.
"Right!" Elliot was much more forward and grandiose as he flicked his long, flowing mane again. "We are all citizens of Pelican Town, are we not? This should be a night of unity!" Maybe in the past, he thought Krobus was a weird, little, freaky guy, but life was full of curveballs.
"Oh, the hopeless romantic is rambling again!" someone muttered, and Alex and Elliot both shot-death glares over their shoulders.
"Jeez, this is why I hate this town and these people!" Boggle muttered, arms crossed, but loudly enough so that she knew Pierre would hear her.
"Give 'em a buncha torches," Snorlax891 suggested with a shrug.
"That requires socializing though. Guess I could always give them my Infinity Blade…" Boggle smiled sadistically.
"Boggle! Snorlax891!" Penny whisper-snapped again before turning to Pierre. "If you will not accept us here, then we will leave."
"And where will you go?!" For a moment, Pierre was so stupefied that he could only sputter in disbelief.
"Why, back to the Bog Buds Family Farm, of course!" Maru said with a sniff, nose in the air. It was rare for her to act so arrogant and haughty, but she'd grown to care for Boggle and Krobus because of Boggle's connection to Net. Likewise, as a nurse, she was under oath to treat anyone who needed aid. That included Shadow People. And hostile human patients. Yeah. It wasn't as if Shadow Brutes were the only ones capable of causing serious bodily harm to a human. It was only prejudice that made the humans forget that, seeing friends in each other and a foe in Krobus.
"Don't forget, Pierre," Net agreed, lowering his voice so as to spare the merchant's dignity, "our farm is practically its own economy…" Not only was the Bog Buds Farm so prosperous that all of Pelican Town purchased at least a few items from them, they were also able to use some of their profit to restore the community center and drive Joja back out of town. Now, the only competitor left was Pierre…
The man seemed to get the hint, because although it was easy to miss and hard to hear, Net saw his throat rise and lower as he gulped nervously.
"Just… so long as that Shadow Brute doesn't cause any trouble or steal any of my goods!" The grumpy, grouchy storeowner pointed a sausage finger at Krobus, who wilted as if Pierre's pointing finger was also shooting out a deadly laser.
Maru frowned and crossed her arms. "The correct term is "Shadow People", not "Brute", Pierre."
"Wooowww, duud." Some of Net's usual composure slipped into complete and utter disdain. He scoffed as he jeered at Pierre.
"Ha! That's racist!" Snorlax891 laughed and pointed at the shopkeeper as well.
"Dude, he ain't gonna steal anything!" Boggle added helpfully. "I will!"
"Boggle!" Penny, Net, and Maru sighed, while Snorlax891 and Alex laughed, and Elliot and Krobus looked concerned.
ooo
In the end, Net won out. "Let's just go," he finally said. "I've socialized with everyone I want to." He took Maru's hand again. "Come on, honey, let's go home." He and his wife each took one of the kids from Penny. Snorlax891, at the same time, picked up Atticus, allowing her son to ride on her back. Penny smiled at her wife and kissed her cheek. Net happened to notice and did the same with Maru. Then of course, Alex and Elliot had to share a smooch too. Boggle was the only one not to kiss her partner, but she still gladly offered him a hand, face as chivalrous as she could make it. It ultimately wound up only making her look like an idiot. More than normal.
But it was another example of why Boggle valued her relationship with Krobus so much, and why she thought the citizens of Pelican Town were stupid for not seeing it, or at least trying to. Boggle and Krobus were entirely platonic, neither of them sexual beings. Perhaps it was a foreign concept to the rest of Pelican Town—especially those with spouses and/or kids—but for Boggle, finding a likeminded creature that also wanted a deep but platonic relationship was a dream so seemingly wild, she hadn't even dared dream it. Then Krobus happened, more of life's curveballs. It wasn't just their mutual outcast status (even though Boggle's was by choice) that bound them together, though—
"KROBUS! HELP! SPIDER!" The rest of Bog Buds Farm could hear Boggle shriek in her cabin. With a happy smile, Krobus skittered over excitedly. In a flash, a long, black tongue shot out of his mouth and impaled the spider. A second later, Krobus' tongue and the spider were gone.
Now if only I could convince him to eat Pierre, Boggle thought with a sadistic smirk, though of course, she didn't really mean it. Instead, she marched proudly out of the heart of Pelican Town with the rest of her squad, all of them ignoring the scandalized stares and whispers in their wake.
"Th-thanks, guys… sorry…" Krobus bowed his little head again, shuffling along sadly, guilt weighing heavily on his conscience.
"It wasn't your fault, Krobus!" Maru said quickly, even resting a hand on his short, little shoulder to comfort him.
"Yeah, the townsfolk are still just too scared of Shadow Brutes, but that says more about them than you," Net promised Krobus, voice stern but kind.
"Don't worry 'bout it, Krobus, I'd never want to hang out with people like that anyway!" Boggle nodded darkly.
"You never want to hang out with anyone," Alex snorted, and beside him, Elliot chuckled too. He could somewhat relate.
"Fair point," Boggle agreed with a laugh, and for the first time since Pierre ruined everything, Krobus managed a tiny smile too.
Suddenly, Snorlax891 turned around and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Oh, honey, no… The baby—" Penny didn't get to finish.
"WE'RE GONNA GO BUILD OUR OWN BBQ! WITH BLACKJACK! AND POKER! IN FACT, FORGET THE BBQ!"
Penny winced as her sleepy son startled at the sound of his other mother screaming at the townsfolk. Ah well, at least her heart's in the right place…
And indeed, for the rest of that night, the Bog Buds Family Farm took Snorlax891's words to heart, and forgot all about the birthday BBQ. Boggle felt validated in her position of not typically interacting with the townsfolk. Why did they need celebrations like that when they had everything they could've ever wanted right there on good, ol' Bog Buds Farm?
AN: I legit headcanon Krobus as using "he/they" pronouns, so I'm lowkey sad "they" doesn't appear in-game.
Also inspired by 3 of my best friends with whom I play SDV almost every weekend. We were talking about Krobus, and romance vs platonic love, so I was originally going to write a fic that focused more on Aro-Ace Krobus, and the value of platonic love, but then I wanted to bring my other friends into it too LOL! (Such was the power of MY platonic love for them! So perhaps it's fitting after all? #Gang'sallhere! LOL!)
Also check out Snorlax891 on AO3 and . Net is also on AO3 and DeviantArt as HellisJustAplace. Though keep in mind, both of them make NSFW works.