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It was Saturday night, which meant it was time for Amitie and Sig's weekly sleepover. Sometimes they went out camping or at Sig's to look after his bugs, but tonight they were at Amitie's house because it was too cold to camp, the bugs were taken care of, and Amitie had a second mattress she could bring in for Sig to sleep on.
Amitie kicked her feet as she lay on her stomach, reading the newest issue of Girly Pop Monthly. Meanwhile on the mattress on the floor, Sig was busy contemplating the meaning of life or whatever would go through Sig's head as he blankly looked at the ceiling. Actually, it was probably bugs, but Amitie was pretty sure the meaning of his life was bugs so the debate was moot. While they filled their days with lively discussion about bugs and fierce Puyo battles, they let comforting silence envelop them with the knowledge they had a friend right nearby. Occasionally Amitie would reach a hand down for Sig to grab. He would squeeze it a little and she would giggle. The day might have been for them to showcase their passions, but at night it felt like they really connected.
"I don't think I'm ready for life," Sig eventually said.
Amitie pulled herself onto her knees and looked down at her friend. "Why's that?"
"The only foods I can make is bread."
"I don't know how to make anything but we can learn how to."
"Or we can eat out every night." He sighed. "I don't wanna learn anything new. I want this to be forever."
Amitie leaned down and poked at his cheek. "You just like being lazy."
"What's the point of trying if it's not gonna work out?"
Oh. This was an important thing for him. Usually when he got on something somewhat serious he'd half-joke his way through the conversation and get cheered up that way. For him to be taking it like this, he must have been worrying about it for a while.
"If there's something you're worried about or don't know how to do, then come ask me. I mean, I don't know how to do much either but do you remember that time we fought Dark Prince and Ecolo? If we work together we can beat anything!"
Sig side-eyed her and Amitie blushed, realizing she was suggesting Puyo battles as the solution to her problems again.
"Still," Amitie continued. "It's better when someone's got your back, you know?"
"What if neither of us know what to do? What if I get rabies?"
"Then I'll read a book! Or ask Klug to figure it out. We can always lean on other people too!"
"What about the embarrassing stuff?"
"Like what?"
Sig breathed in deeply and let out a hefty sigh. Whatever this was, it had to be the core of the problem. Amitie reached for Sig's hand and pressed it comfortingly.
"I don't think I'd be a good boyfriend. Ugh." He flipped over and flopped her face against the mattress. Then he groaned some more.
Sig felt Amitie's grip loosen. Her hand jerked for half a second, trying to pull away before she caught herself. Though Sig tried to meet her gaze, she looked away. It was a stupid problem, wasn't it?
"You got someone in mind?" Amitie muttered. "Nobody at school really seems your type. Is it someone in Suzuran or…" She devolved into mumbling to herself like she did when she was really focused and then flinched out of it, instinctively trying to dodge the chalk Ms. Accord would throw at her for talking during a test.
"It's nobody. Just been thinking about it." He shoved his face in the mattress. "Forget it."
Then came a muffled thump and a dip in the mattress. "Now why's that?" Amitie spoke, now not up from above but right next to him. Sig lifted up his head to find Amitie laying next to him, stomach to the mattress and head resting on her arms as she looked at him with that stupid kind genuine smile that always made him want to scream and run away because of how it made his nerves bounce around his heart. His cheeks burned hot, or maybe that was Amitie's warmth since she was close enough for her nose to meet his.
Sig flopped the other way.
"Siiiiiiig, come oooooooon."
"Don't wanna. I wanna rot."
"No rotting in my room; I just cleaned up."
Sig flopped over again, now out of mattress and falling a foot onto the floor. Amitie loomed over him, now using her no-nonsense tone of voice which she only seemed to use on him. "Sig."
"Mmmph."
Amitie helped pull Sig back onto the mattress and made him sit criss-cross-apple-sauce in front of her. It was a Sig Trick™ that he was just a bit more motivated when he wasn't lying down.
"Now why do you think you wouldn't be a good boyfriend?" Amitie asked. "And don't go saying it's because what you like is weird. If they don't like what you're into, then they're not worth your love!"
"Not that." Sig looked away as he continued. "I don't think I can be romantic. Like, I'm no good with giving people presents. Or being there for people. And I get distracted a lot when people are saying important things. I want someone romantic but I don't know if I can be good enough to be someone they deserve."
"Sig, don't think like that. Think about what you deserve. Even if you're not that romantic in return, whoever would date you would wanna do it because they like you, y'know? Just put in the effort to be as kind as you usually are and that's all you really gotta do."
"I don't wannaaaaaaaaa. I just wanna make sure the bugs are okay."
"Oh, come on. You do stuff you don't want to all the time."
"No I don't."
Amitie sighed. "Do you wanna get some ice cream tomorrow?"
Confused, Sig looked around him. Amitie could jump tracks on her train of thought sometime, but usually nothing this sudden. But if there was something that made her start thinking of ice cream, he sure didn't see it around. "Sure?"
"Ha! See? You don't like sweets but you still agreed to come with me!" She started a sing-sing taunt. "You like making other people happy."
"Yeah, but that's because it's you." He scratched his head. Amitie wasn't responding and her face was bright red. That probably meant he was confusing her. He needed to be more specific. "I mean, you're fun to be around so it doesn't matter what we're doing. I think."
Oh no, Amitie's face was getting even redder. Sig didn't like red things much, not since his armed turned that color. When he saw Amitie go that color he knew what he was saying was wrong.
"Not that I don't like Puyo battling just because I'm playing with you," he continued, now mumbling out the words as he thought them, "I like them anyway and the comics you show me and going places I wouldn't if you didn't wanna go. Sometimes I don't. That's probably fine. You probably don't like every bug I show you. But I like it when, y'know, you show me things I like that I wouldn't do because I don't like doing new things."
Sig could taste his tongue; he always could whenever he had to speak more than ten words at a time. It tasted stale. Amitie put her burning head into her hands while Sig took a drink of water and waited for her to respond. He thought what he said was okay. She probably just needed a moment to think and scream like he sometimes did.
As Amitie's screams died down, she spoke into her hands. "Are you sure you're not romantic?"
"Pretty sure. Oof." Sig grunted as a pillow smacked into his face. It fell dully onto his lap. Sig blinked. "Ow."
"That didn't hurt, you dummy!" Amitie punched him playfully in the arm, though with just a bit too much force. She was probably upset about something, especially with how much she emphasised dummy.
Sig laughed. At least, it was a laugh for Sig. Really it was just a small, "Heh."
Then, a a thought popped into Sig's head and he had to look away again. This wasn't something he usually did, but it was something that in this momenty felt right for some reason. Still avoiding looking at Amitie, he held his arms out to his sides. Amitie could read him well enough to know what he wanted and so she leaned forward and threw her arms around him. As Sig hugged her back, Amitie lost her balance and fell right into him.
Amitie yipped in surprise. Sig laughed, one more people would recognize as a kindhearted and happy laugh. And still he hugged onto her as she lay on top of him.
"This is the kind of thing I want to be forever."