"Oh my god..."

Clover sat in bed with his arms crossed; this had become a rather common predicament by now to be honest.

"That's... That's adorable!"

Noelle held a hand to her mouth as she struggled to keep herself from smiling too hard. Kanako was basically wrapped around Clover, once again treating him like some overgrown teddy bear. She was snoring quietly, less of a snore, more just loud breathing. He'd gotten used to all of it at this point though.

"Wait, was that what she was so upset about yesterday?"

"Uhuh, she gets real embarrassed about it, but she never tries to stop it from happenin either," Clover explained with a neutral expression.

"Oh I've so gotta take a picture of this..." Noelle mumbled to herself as she reached into her pocket, but Clover wasn't so sure about that.

"Uh... Hey, maybe ya shouldn't do that. You saw how upset she got at just the mention of this back at school."

"...I'd delete it right after I showed it to Kanako." She tried to reason it out.

"Still, couldn't ya just tell her you saw it if you really wanna mess with her? There's no need to give er dread over knowin that there was picture proof of her habits."

Noelle hesitated for a moment, but eventually she relented. "Yeah... You're right, there's really no need for me to do that... Sorry."

"Nothin to be sorry about, not like ya did anything."

"I mean... I would've..."

"Would've, and did, are two different things. They're both not exactly a good thing, but one is significantly worse than the other. I'll let you piece together which one that is yourself. I'm sure you're smart enough." He smiled a little and yawned. Kanako's sleeping habits might've been rubbing off on him a little bit.

"So uh... How long do you think it'll take for her to wake up?"

Clover looked up at the clock in Kanako's room. 6:54 AM.

"Mmm, another hour and a half at the least if Ceroba don't wake her up."

"...Couldn't you just wake her up yourself?"

"Look, I'm rude, but I ain't that rude." Clover rolled his eyes.

"...Okay, but like, school?" Noelle pointed out the obvious.

"Huh? I can be ready for school in twenty minutes, be out the door, n'be there in another fifty. Hour and a half is plenty for me. Heck... Might be able to shorten that soon enough..."

"...I guess that's fair, well uhm... I guess I'll wake up Mrs. Ketsukane?"

"Sure, why not?" Clover shrugged and adjusted himself a bit. He was stuck in bed for the foreseeable short term future, might as well be comfortable. For as much grief as he'd give Kanako about treating him like a body pillow, she wasn't such a bad pillow herself. He, in all likeliness, probably had the better end of the stick given her fur was softer than his feathers.

The door closed, and with it Clover closed his eyes. After a dozen or so repeats, he'd gotten pretty good at falling asleep like this. So... It didn't really take him long. Or at least, it shouldn't have. He had a pretty eventful day yesterday, and he couldn't really help but think about it... So, think about it he did. Maybe he'd be able to lull himself to sleep like that? Clover certainly hoped so.

...Having a night owl as a friend when you were a morning person could be challenging.

...

"Now, what did we talk about?"

"I will not announce that I'm a human to any more monsters." Clover sighed dejectedly. Martlet had been... Quite... Not really, upset, per say? With him, but very... Concerned.

"And can you tell me why that is?"

"Because not every monster is going to be as reasonable as Kanako or my grandparents... But, y'know that's exactly why I told them right, cause they're my grandparents? I figured it'd be okay..."

"Even still, that's really not the kind of thing you just drop on people Clover!" Martlet sighed exasperatedly. "Just, promise me you won't do that again, for both our sakes, please? I don't want to start turning grey like my mom before I'm thirty." She once again sighed, this time, even more exasperatedly.

"...M'kay, I promise I won't tell anybody that I'm a human, ever again, y'happy?" Clover grumbled to himself and crossed his arms. At least he was wearing his poncho again, in a COMFORTABLE heat, thank you very much.

"Ve-hey wait a minute! Clover, this is an important matter about your safety! I don't want anything to happen to you!"

"...I know." He frowned. "It's just... I know I'm a monster n'everythin, or, whatever I am... But, even if life back up on the surface did suck, it's kind of difficult to admit to myself that I ain't human anymore. It's... a little silly... Everything down here is better, as far as I'm concerned. But... For some reason, I can't help but feel an odd attachment to knowing that I... Was, human... Y'know?"

Martlet frowned, and Clover just sighed to himself. "No... No, o'course y'don't "know". Why would ya? It's just me being stupid, trying to hold onto that feeling that's already long gone by tellin others what I was."

"N-no! That's not what I meant! I was frowning at myself, not you!" Martlet immediately tried to remedy the situation. "I wasn't thinking about how you felt about it. I'm sorry, that's totally my fault Clover. Please, don't..."

Clover was staring at the ground, at nothing in particular. "...Damnit, why am I like this?" he mumbled to himself. "Why...? I just... I'm just makin everything worse right now, aren't I?"

"Clover..."

"S-"

Martlet yanked Clover right off of the sand and hugged him as tight as she could.

"Clover, please, don't start blaming yourself over little things like this again. It was my fault, okay?"

"But-"

"No buts! I was so concerned about your safety, that I didn't stop to think about how you might've felt about all the changes you've gone through, so, so fast. That's totally my fault, we should've talked about it earlier. Like we should've talked about a lot of things earlier... But uhm, that doesn't matter now, we'll be alright, we already weathered the storm! But, seriously Clover. It's not your fault, I'm the adult here, I should've stopped anything like that from happening in the first place by talking to you to begin with. So please, no blaming yourself for anything."

"..."

"Nothing at all!"

"Really...?"

"Really."

Clover closed his eyes for a few moments, and hugged his mom back. "...Okay, you're right..." He contemplated saying 'sorry' but figured that wasn't exactly the best choice of words at that moment.

"Now, let's get you to that sleepover! You are ready for that, right?"

"...O'course." He nodded to Martlet as she set him back down. Off in the distance was oasis town, and by extension, the Ketsukane manor.

"Alright then, back to it then! Oh and, Clover?"

"...Yeah?"

"What do you say to just spending a day together tomorrow? We can do whatever you want after school, I've got off after all!" Martlet cheerfully chirped.

"...Sure mom, that sounds great."

...

"I'll see you after school tomorrow!" Martlet raised a wing and waved, Clover waved back.

And then Ceroba closed the door.

"Not bad timing Clover, I was just about to make dinner." Ceroba smiled slightly and gestured towards one of the halls. "Noelle and Kanako are upstairs, if you'd like to say hello. I'm sure they heard you come in."

"Oh, thanks Mrs. Ketsukane!"

Her smile grew a bit, and she shook her head. "Clover, please, I told you already. Feel free to just call me by name, it's really the least I can do, given what you've done for me."

"...I mean, if ya really want me to I will. Oh, right, do y'need another dose tonight? It's been a good few days."

"...Maybe." She nodded. "We've been working on using less of it, but it couldn't hurt to be safe. If you're fine with it today, then certainly."

"Alright, it ain't even that bad any more." He shrugged evenly. Ceroba had been pretty on the mark every time she'd drawn his blood, the specific spot on his arm that she frequented had started to grow a bit numb to the pain. "Welp, thank you for makin dinner. Just holler whenever it's ready, will ya?"

"Of course, of course. Well, my daughters been waiting ever since she got back from school, I'd appreciate it if you didn't keep her any longer." Ceroba nodded curtly, and turned her back on Clover. He figured that was his cue to get moving.

By now, and long before now, Clover had familiarized himself with the winding halls of Kanako's home. It was a walk through the hall, up the stairs, through another hall, now he could hear some chatter, open the door and...

"Ello-am I interuptin something?"

Kanako's paws were on Noelles horns, she was, understandably, trying to pry them off?

"Clover! Help me!" Noelle reached out and yelped for help, but she quickly went back to trying to free herself when Kanako yanked on them.

"Absolutely do not help her! Not until she apologizes!"

"Owowowow-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Kanako, with a healthy dose of hesitation, let go. As soon as her arms were freed up, she dramatically crossed them and huffed.

"...What in tarnation?" Clover's head hit his shoulder.

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Noelle wordlessly rubbed at her antlers, while Kanako only turned her attention back to something on her desk.

"So... Is anybody gonna explain what the heck I just stumbled into, or?"

Still, silence. Clover was well and truly baffled now. Kanako looked like she wanted to say something, but whatever was on her desk caught her attention. Clover didn't need to read her face to know that much, given she practically sprinted from the side of the bed to it after she seemed to realize something. She slapped her paw down onto it, grabbed what seemed to be a piece of paper, and crumpled it up.

"Wh-" Noelle started, but quickly stopped when she got what Clover would affably describe as a "death glare" from Kanako.

Kanako coughed violently for a moment, before giving Clover a very forced greeting. "Hi, Clover!"

"..."

He had no words.

"It's great to see you, wasn't sure if you'd be here before dinner!"

"...The hell?"

Clover rubbed at his eyes. "What in the actual blazes just happened?"

"What're you talking about Clover?"

"Kanako, I'unno what the heck you're tryin to pull over me, but I'm not just gonna act like that didn't happen."

"...Fiiiine, don't worry about it too much. Noelle just... Overstepped her boundaries." Kanako scowled in her direction.

"If by overstepped my boundaries, you mean-"

"Uh uh-not another word." She continued to glare at her.

"...Huh, so this is how you felt earlier?" Clover turned his gaze to the still bewildered Noelle. "Cause I'm feeling pretty confused right about now."

"Well, don't worry about it too much! It's a secret, but you'll hear about it eventually."

"That still really hurts..." Noelle grumbled and shook her head around a bit. "I get I was being rude, but was that really necessary?"

"Maybe I overreacted a little bit." Noelle puffed up her cheeks and looked to the side. "You shouldn't have made fun of me in the first place though."

"Wow, that IS weird." Clover nodded to himself.

"See?" Noelle shrugged incredulously.

"Oh come on!"

...

After that excitement wound itself down, the three found themselves getting situated with their new arrangements. It was the first time they were having a three person sleepover, so... Obviously, some things would be a little different. For example, the bed would actually get a little bit crammed for once if all three of them were in it. Kanako's room was a little small for three, and various other issues.

"So, what exactly are we gonna be doing?" Clover laid flat on the bed as he spun a self created ball on the tip of his finger. He... Hadn't ever practiced something like that before, it was just that he'd figured out a little something with his grandpa. He could sort of control the movement of what he now dubbed his "constructs" provided they were close enough to him. So, it was both an exercise in learning the trick, and magic control. Well, it technically counted as an exercise, but he was more so doing it to keep himself entertained.

"I don't know, what do you wanna do?" Kanako absentmindedly responded as she doodled away at something on her desk. Clover wasn't exactly paying attention to it. Speaking of her desk, that was actually a relatively new addition to Kanako's room. Clover wasn't quite sure when she'd gotten it, but one day it was just kind of there. He hadn't questioned it, given it was relatively minor.

"Well, I dunno. I'm perfectly fine with practicing my magic, but the point of a sleepover is supposed to be hanging out with your friends, ain't it?"

Noelle raised an arm for Clover's attention. "Why don't we just practice together then?"

"Ain't that what school's for?" Clover pushed himself up a bit to look her in the eyes.

"Who says we can't do school work outside of school? I mean, what, do you have a problem with it or something?"

"Nah, I guess I just thought we'd do somethin else? Though, now that I think about it, there ain't really much else to do is there?"

"We could see what's going on with those 'social media' apps." Noelle suggested.

"...Ehhh, not really all that interested in that stuff, to be honest." Clover raised his arms in surrender and let the ball he was keeping in shape fade away. "Yeah, practicing with magic don't sound too bad, there's some stuff I wanted to try out anyways. Just gimme a sec." He stretched out for a bit, before forcing himself into a sitting up position.

"Kanako? You wanna come with us?" Clover raised an eyebrow at her. Whatever it was she was drawing, she seemed pretty captivated. "...Kanako?"

"Uh-huh? Yeah? Wuzzat?"

"...You didn't hear a single thing we said, didja?"

"...No." She looked to the side guiltily.

"We were gonna do some magic practice, you coming with us or nah?"

"Oh, uh, how about after dinner? I was making some pretty good progress with this." Kanako grabbed her work, and presented it to the open air, which happened to be within Clover and Noelle's line of sight. Clover couldn't help but smile, Kanako really had made marked improvement ever since they'd first met, it was honestly kind of inspiring. For example, he didn't even need to think it over for a few seconds to realize it was a drawing of the school!

"Sure, that sounds good to me." Clover nodded slightly. "Well, I guess we'll be outside. If you happen to finish before dinner's ready, feel free to join us."

...

Clover’s eyes fluttered open gingerly. It sounded like somebody was calling his name… Somebody… Oh wait, no, there totally was somebody calling his name.

“Clover, Kanako, it’s time to get up. You don’t want to be late to school now, do you?” Ceroba smiled gently, it was an all too familiar sight at this point.

“...What time is it?” Clover mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes.

“8:35 AM. Breakfast is ready as well.”

Clover tried to stand up, but rather quickly he realized that there was still a furry lump weighing him down.

“Kanako, you’ve had more than enough beauty sleep at this point.” Clover shook his shoulder and side eyed the still quietly snoring fox holding onto him. “...Don’t make me use force.”

They suspiciously stopped for a moment…

“I’m goin to start countin down from ten.” Clover frowned. Ceroba, for her part, just smiled bemusedly.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, ooooone…”

Clover’s eyes narrowed. “Zero and three quarters… Alright, you’re determined to make me drag you out of bed, ain’tcha?”

Ceroba shook her head disappointedly. “Do what you need to do.”

All at once, Clover threw himself upwards. In the motion, he dragged Kanako half way out of the covers. Coincidentally, her grip just so happened to tighten on his arm when he did that!

“I knew you weren’t asleep.” Clover grumbled. “Y’know your brows furrow when you lie, right?”

“...No they don’t.” She mumbled without opening her eyes.

“Welp, thanks for answerin that question for me. Right, here are your options! Let go n’get up, or I’ll carry you down the stairs.”

“...”

“Thank you for picking option two!” Clover chirped and spun himself around. “Now prepare for cowboy justice!”

“Wait, wh-n-NOT AGAIN!”

…

Clover followed Ceroba down the hall with Kanako over his shoulder. He’d always been stronger since he became a monster, so it was a pretty easy task. She struggled for a bit at first, but now she’d given up. Her arms were crossed, and she was making the best pouty face she could, but it was all for naught given Clover couldn’t even see it.

“So, y’said you made breakfast?” Clover innocently asked Ceroba like he wasn’t currently manhandling her daughter.

“Yes, I assume pancakes are fine?” She smiled back, also acting as if her daughter wasn’t over Clover’s shoulder.

“Pancakes sound great, thanks Ceroba. By the way, where’s Noelle?”

“Already eating her fill.”

“...Y’see what you’re costin us Kanako?”

“Mrghhh…”

They made their way through the halls with minimal extra effort, Kanako didn’t really struggle much, so Clover didn’t need to stop to readjust. So… It didn’t really take them much longer to get to the kitchen.

“I hear you’re chowin down already, Noelle!” Clover announced as Ceroba opened the sliding door.

“Uhhhhmmmm” she mumbled through a mouthful of pancake.

“Unbelievable, you better have left some for us as well.” Clover deadpanned as he leaned forward to set Kanako down.

She daintily dusted her pajamas off (there was no dust to begin with) and frowned. “You didn’t even let me change.”

“Yeah, and you didn’t let me put a shirt on. Or preen, or take a bath like I would in a usual mornin. So let’s just call it even, shall we? Anyways, Noelle, you did leave us pancakes, right?” He slowly turned his gaze towards the deer.

“...Of course! I would never do something like… Eating all of them…” She guiltily stated. Something told Clover that the only reason there were still any left, wasn’t because she had their best interests in mind… No, it was only because she hadn’t gotten to them yet.

“...Right. How many pancakes did you make anyways?” He turned his gaze back towards Ceroba.

“Fourteen.”

There were only seven left.

“Well, that’s enough pancakes for you.” Clover smiled with an unchallengeable finality.

“...Okay.”