Ever since the incident with Pin and Firey, Leafy hadn't left the mansion. She felt too anxious to even step one foot outside. Occasionally, she would get a knock on her door, but she was too afraid to answer it.

     By the fifth knock, she felt too pressured, and answered it. She shook her head in surprise at who she saw. Taco stood at her door, a bright smile on her face. That was, until she saw Leafy's paranoid frown.

     "Whoa...you don't look so good. Are you okay?" Taco said in concern, placing a hand on Leafy's shoulder. Leafy blushed slightly, feeling a spark of happiness ignite. "I-I'm fine!" Leafy tried to smile.

       Taco, although skeptical at first, brushed it off, smiling. "That's good to hear, you had me worried for a second." She admit, lifting her hand off Leafy. Leafy felt the happiness drain as soon as Taco did that.

      She shook it off, smiling at Taco. "So, what do you need?" Taco handed her a flyer. "There's a big party going on tonight! I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" Leafy's smile turned into a genuine one.

      "W-Wait. Really?" She asked in disbelief. Taco nodded. Leafy hugged her, surprising her. Taco awkwardly hugged back, then they both broke off. "What time is it tonight?" Taco looked at the flyer, with a lopsided smile.

"Eight in the evening!" She responded, looking back up at Leafy. "I'll be there!" Leafy responded, giving her another hug. Taco blushed, realizing how close she was.

Leafy broke the hug again, and waved to Taco as she walked off. "Thank you so much!" Leafy closed the door, feeling happy for once. Her back pressed against the door, and she smiled.

She wasn't sure what she felt. She had really only just met Taco, but she felt... something... Her mind drifted to the party. The party! She was so excited. "I can't believe it!" She said to herself, walking up the stairs.

"For the first time in forever, I'm hanging out with someone!" Leafy said, slightly blushing at the thought of Taco. "For the first time in forever, I feel something other than regret and fear!"

Her smile started to fade. "For the first time in forever...I'll be in a room...with everyone..." Her breathing became shaky. "E-Everyone that hates me..." Leafy hugged herself, as the room became suddenly colder.

"E-Everyone that thinks I-I'm a...monster." Leafy made it to her room, closing the door. "A-A monster..." She started to cough again, feeling fatigued. One particularly violent cough caused her whole body to spasm.

She clenched her fists, feeling something cold sprout at the tips of them. She unclenched them, her eyes widening at the sight.

Frost was clinging tightly to her skin, turning her hands into a light, icy blue color. She stared in fear, and confusion, unable to understand what was happening. Leafy sprinted over to her mirror, gasping.

Half of her body was orange now, like she was changing seasons. But her species couldn't normal do that, right? In all her years she had been alive, she never had once naturally changed color! So why was she starting to now?

She looked around, spotting some green foundation. She quickly applied it to her entire body. She couldn't let anyone see her like this! After applying the makeup, she checked over her entire body. No spot of orange was found.

Leafy sighed in relief, setting the brush down. "I think I'm good...but..." She winced. "If I make even one wrong move, everyone will know something's up with me." She shivered slightly.

If they knew about her colors changing, who knew what they would do to her? She heard another knock, and went downstairs to see who it was. Opening the door, she was delighted to see Four was there!

She smiled at him. "Four!" She called. Four smiled at her, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Leafy." He nodded. He looked much better than the other day, the bags under his eyes were gone!

"Come inside!" Leafy offered, holding the door open for him. He walked inside, slipping his shoes off at the entrance. Leafy closed the door, following Four into the parlor. He sat on the couch, scooting over to leave enough room for Leafy.

Of course, she didn't notice that's what he was doing, and went over to the chair beside the painting. Four spoke up. "I don't bite." He joked. Leafy tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

Rolling his eyes, he pat the spot beside him. It was then Leafy realized what he meant. "O-Oh!" She got up, hesitantly walking over to Four. She sat down beside him, unaware of the weird glint in his eyes.

           "Your hands...they're frosted over. Are you okay?" He asked, gently grabbing one. Leafy couldn't turn away, being basically locked into place. She froze, unsure of what to do. Four seemed oblivious to what he was doing.

         Or at least, he didn't see the problem. He smiled kindly. "Eh. You're probably not being careful when you go outside, are you?" He teased, causing Leafy to let out a sigh of relief. "Haha, yep! That is definitely the problem!"

          She replied, trying to smile. Four chuckled. "Well, we can't have you losing your fingers now, can we?" He used his other, free hand pulled out a spare pair of gloves. Four pulled them over her hands, making sure they fit.

         "You really shouldn't care what they say about you." He spoke in a serious tone, after minutes of silence. Four still held one of her hands with one of his own. "They want you to feel alone...sad..." He paused for a moment.

            "...unloved..." He placed his other hand on her palm. "Don't let them see that they got to you, if you conceal your emotions, they can't see that they've hurt you." He smirked. "Play their game, until they see that you can't feel the pain they've caused you."

            He pulled Leafy into a hug, she tensed, unsure of what was happening. "See?" He said. "You're too easy to read right now." He chuckled, breaking the hug. He placed his hands back into his pockets.

           "I didn't even know a hug could cause this much confusion." He said, amused smile on his face. "You have to be prepared for the unexpected." He took his hands back out, and Leafy tensed again.

          "For example:" He quickly pinned her against the couch, dark expression on his face. Leafy yelped, feeling her finger tips frost over again. She paused for a moment. Did she do that? Did she-

          "Come on, Leafy." Four broke her out of her thoughts. "You can do this, give me a blank look, an expressionless look!" He encouraged. Leafy inhaled slowly, closing her eyes, then exhaled.

            She opened her eyes, leaving them half-lidded, and gave Four a dead-panned look. "What do you think you're doing, Pin?" She asked, and Four seemed to get the idea. "Oh, I just wanted to see the local monster." He mocked Pin's voice.

           Leafy rose an eyebrow, still managing to keep the dead-pan look. "Is that so?" Leafy asked, taking Four's hand off her shoulder. "Well, you didn't need to leave your home for that, you do have mirrors, don't you?"

           Four slipped back into a relaxed position, smiling at Leafy. "Good job. That wasn't too bad." Leafy smiled, relaxing her face. "Really?" Four nodded, and Leafy jumped up. "Thanks Four! I feel ready to take on the party now!"

            Four frowned. "Party? Wait, don't tell me you're going to the huge party tonight!" Leafy's smile dropped slightly. "Huh?" Four sighed. "Everyone is going to be there, it might just be better if you stayed here."

           He smiled. "Besides, we could have more fun here than we ever could at some lame party." Leafy stared, confused. "Wait, but I thought this extercise was supposed to help me deal with situations like that?"

           Four shook his head. "Definitely not, it's more for when you are absolutely forced to leave this place." He got up. "But as long as I'm around, you won't have to do that." Four looked at the portrait, then at Leafy.

          "As great as Steve is, he can't protect you from those guys. So what better bodyguard than the alien shaped like a number?" Leafy smiled, nodding in understanding. "Are you sure you're up for that, though?"

          Four waved a hand dismissively. "Of course I am, after all..." He put his hands in his pockets, smiling. "That's what friends are for, right?" Leafy's eyes filled with stars. "W-Wait, you consider us friends?!"

          He chuckled, nodding once. "We're going to hang out later tonight, but I have to get ready first." He walked over to the front door, opening it. "Be ready! Prepare your best stories!"

         Leafy nodded in understanding. "Okay!" She closed the door, feeling excited. She was so excited, she seemed to forget two things...

She never told Four the painting was named Steve, or that she loved to tell stories.

        After some digging, Leafy eventually found a book of her favorite tales. She heard the door knock, and looked over at the clock. It was broken. Sighing, she walked down stairs and opened the door.

          She smiled when she saw Taco. "Leafy! Ready to go?" Leafy paused for a moment, remembering what Four said. But, she didn't want to disappoint Taco... Surely it wouldn't hurt to go for a few minutes.

         Leafy nodded, taking her hand in hers. "Yeah! I have to be back early though." Taco nodded in understanding. "No problem!" They started to walk, after Leafy closed the door behind them.

        After a minute of silence, Leafy noticed Taco was wearing a scarf. It was kind of odd. It didn't seem to be that cold out. "Sorry for asking, but what's with the scarf?" Taco smiled, looking at her.

        "It's like, 60 degrees out! I'm surprised you don't have one!" She laughed, looking to the side. Leafy gasped. "60 degrees?!" She repeated. "It sure doesn't feel like it!" Was it really 60 degrees out?

        Why didn't Leafy feel how cold it was? She brushed the question off, instead focusing on talking to Taco. "Oh, who's hosting the party, by the way?" She asked. "Firey." Leafy's face fell, as she felt the world collapsing around her.

Her breathing became shaky, and a cold feeling pooled in her chest. She started to cough violently, catching the attention of Taco. Taco gasped, as she saw Leafy fall to the ground, her gloves getting covered in snow.

Taco helped her back up, patting her back. "Leafy...if you aren't feeling well, you don't have to force yourself to go..." Leafy looked back up at her with wide eyes. "N-No! I-I can make it! Don't worry Taco!"

She grabbed Leafy's hands, a stern, but concerned look on her face. "Leafy..." She slightly scolded. She stopped before she could say anything else, noticing Leafy's gloves seemed to be stuffed.

Gently, she pulled one off, causing Leafy to panic. Taco smiled at her reassuringly. "I'll give them back in a second, when you fell, snow must have slipped into your gloves." She explained, dumping the snow out of the glove she held.

Leafy sighed in relief. "Y-Yeah..." Once Taco got the snow out of the first glove, she took off the other, doing the same, then gave them both back to Leafy. "Look, you can still come with me, but if you have another coughing fit, I'm taking you home."

Leafy slipped her gloves on, nodding in understanding. "O-Okay." They began to walk, and Taco wrapped an arm around her. "I don't want my friend to be miserable all night." Leafy's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled.

When they finally reached the place it was being held, Leafy became nervous again. She had to remember Four's advice. Taking a deep breath, she became stoic, and stored away her fear. Taco knocked on the door, and Coiny answered.

He saw Leafy, and smiled slightly, making her confused. "Taco! And Leafy, long time no see, huh?" Taco smiled, and nodded. "Hey Coiny! I'm surprised Firey let you come." Coiny laughed.

"Well, Pin was coming, so you know I had to come." He glanced at Leafy, who stared slightly into his eyes. They were full of kindness. She and Taco stepped inside. "I'm gonna go grab us some drinks, do you want me to go put your gloves on the coat rack?"

"No!" Leafy answered a little too quickly, causing Taco to flinch. Leafy's face burned red. "S-Sorry! I-I mean...no...thank you..." Her voice shank, as she tried to stay calm. Taco could only look at her in concern, but brushed it off.

If Leafy had a problem of some sort, she would tell her when she was ready. Taco walked off, leaving Coiny with Leafy. He dropped his smile, and turned to Leafy, grabbing one of her hands.

"I'm so, so sorry that Pin did what she did." He said calmly. "That wasn't cool of her to do at all." Leafy flinched, not expecting to hear that. She wasn't sure how to respond. "Oh...uh..."

Coiny sighed. "You don't have to forgive her, I know that woul-" "Leafy?!" He was interrupted by a familiar voice. Leafy froze, turning around to see Four at the door, a book in his hand. He sighed, grabbing her hand.

"This place is bad news, we need to get out of here." Coiny glared at Four slightly, stepping beside Leafy. "Hold on, she literally just got here!" He said, grabbing Leafy's other hand. Four glared back, scowling.

He stepped in between them, smiling at Leafy. He held up the book proudly. "Let's just go home, I found a book I think you'll just love." He pointed to the red markings scribbled on the cover.

"With modifications made by your's truly." Coiny gently pushed him aside. "Why are you acting weirder than normal! You never talk to any of us, then suddenly you're "best buds" with Leafy?"

He looked at Leafy. "How long have you two been talking?" Leafy tapped her fingers together slightly. "I-" Four stepped in front of her, glaring at Coiny. "What? We can't be friends this quickly?"

Leafy tensed, as the two continued to argue. "No, becoming friends quickly is fine... it's how you're trying to keep her away from everyone that's the problem!" Four stood his ground.

"Maybe I'm doing what's best for hi-her! He rose his voice slightly, gritting his teeth. "Do you want her to be hurt again? I know it's happened before." Coiny scoffed. "How do you know what's best for her?!"

Leafy could feel herself tearing up, but she tried to keep it in. Before Four could speak, Taco stepped in between the two of them. "What's the matter with you two?!" She scolded.

"I leave for two minutes, and everyone starts fighting!" She turned towards Coiny. "Coiny, Four is just a concerned friend, of course he's going to try to help Leafy, even if it the way he does it does more harm than good."

She spun around to face Four. "Speaking of which, what's your solution here? Keeping her away from everyone forever? So are you just not going to let her leave the house? If you really want to help her, just be there for her when she does get hurt again!"

Coiny and Four's glares softened, and they looked away from her sheepishly. Taco glanced between the two of them. "Now, as Leafy's friend group, our job is to get along with each other. We all care about her, don't we?"

They nodded, and Taco smiled. "Then stop fighting, and let's go have fun, right Leafy?" She looked where Leafy was standing, only to find she was gone. Four panicked. "Leafy?!" His stoic act had been completely shattered by now.

Before he could run off, Taco grabbed him by the hood of his jacket. "Ack! What did I just say?!" She sighed. "Before getting all panick-y, let's take a deep breath, and calmly go look for her. All your fighting must have scared her off."

The three looked around, not seeing her by the snack table, or on the dance floor. The truth was, Leafy had wandered off to a secluded area of the house.

Leafy sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Coiny... Four..." She made a frustrated noise, burying her face into her hands. "I just don't understand." She pulled her hands away from her face, and stared up, flinching in fear.

Firey was right in front of her.

His expression was unreadable, holding a glass of water in one hand. "...Oh." Was all he said, before rolling his eyes. "Looks like you caught me. So friends with the alien now, are we?"

He chuckled. "You two make a great match, both being freaks and all." Leafy frowned, before gaining a stoic expression. "At least he doesn't pretend to be my friend." Firey scowled, tsking.

"I never pretended to be your friend! You stole something from me, and never said sorry!" Leafy stood up, losing her stoic facade, and her hands grew colder. "You never let me! I've tried so many times to say sorry! So many times, I've never gotten to utter a word!"

She was crying now, tears running down her cheeks. "Do you know what it's like, living everyday stuck in that moment? Trying to distract yourself from the never ending barrage of guilt?!"

She clutched her head, starting to cough again. "W-Wanting to...to go back in-in time?!" She spoke between coughs. "W-Wishing y-you...." She was interrupted by a wave of pain, as she started to feel faint.

Leafy started to fall, and Firey gasped. Just as Leafy thought she was going to hit the ground, she didn't. Opening her eyes, she saw Firey. For once, he had a concerned look on his face.

She stared at him in confusion, realizing he had caught her, and he wasn't letting go. "Leafy-" Pin walked into the room, choking on her drink when she saw the scene. Firey quickly threw Leafy to the ground in a panic, pouring his drink on her.

"I-I hate you! I never want to see you again!" Leafy's chest started to hurt, and she sat up. Tears were in her eyes as her make up washed away, revealing her half orange body. "I-Is that right..."

Her tears seemed to freeze, as her expression became ice-cold. The puddle of water around her quickly froze, becoming ice. Pin and Firey gasped, as Leafy stood up. She panicked slightly, but her face didn't show it.

This was what Four meant when he tried to teach her to hide her emotions, wasn't it? She looked down at her hands. When Firey caught her, he had accidentally burned them off. She felt angry, and started to exit the room.

"Hopefully Four isn't too upset I lost his gloves..." She turned back and stared at Firey. He ran over to her. "Leafy, wait-" She did not, and fled the room. The party goers stared in disbelief at her discoloration, and she could hear each of them gasp as she passed.

"Leafy!" Four nearly screamed, clenching his head as he saw her discolored body. He ran over to her, shaking. Grabbing her shoulders, he looked her up and down, fear in his eyes. "Wh...What..."

        She closed her eyes in shame. Then, Firey entered the room, Pin trailing behind. Everyone was staring at her, and the eyes were starting to get to her. She grit her teeth, not letting a single tear slip out.

       Clenching her hands, they began to frost over again. Four noticed, and quickly took her hand in his to cover them. Firey saw them, and when his eyes trailed down to their hands, he paused.

        Something inside him sparked, like there was a fire inside his already flaming body. He snapped. Storming over to the two, he glared at Leafy. She stared at him in fear, seeing the violent look in his eyes.

         Taco stepped in front of him. "Firey..." she warned. He glared at her. "So, it's more then that, huh?" He ignored her, asking Leafy. Four turned her away from him. "I didn't know you two freaks would make such a cute couple!"

         Leafy started to breath heavily, her hands starting to freeze over. Four rubbed them, muttering under his breath. "Conceal, don't feel. Leafy, you need to hide your emotions." Leafy nodded, breathing in.

         "Why are you even here anyways, I never invited you to my party!" Four glanced back at him, glaring at him. "Nobody wants you here!" Four let go of her hands, turning around to face him. "Oh shut the hell up!"

          Firey laughed. "Look everyone! The alien is protecting his outcast girlfriend!" Four clenched his fists. "Who cares if I'm dating her or not? Seems like the only one who cares is you..." he smirked, stepping beside Leafy.

         "Are you..." he faked a gasp. "Jealous??" He started to whisper to Leafy. "You'll forgive me for this later." She looked at him in confusion. He suddenly kissed her forehead, causing her to freeze.

         She stuttered, flushing red. What the fuck?! Firey scoffed, a slight blush. He flusteredly shook, glaring at Leafy. "What's wrong?" Four teased, wrapping an arm around Leafy. "All I did was kiss my bo-girlfriend!"

         Taco noticed his stutter, and turned to look at him. "Wait...did you-" Firey interrupted. "WHY WOULD I CARE?!" He screamed. "WHY WOULD I CARE IF YOU KISSED THAT FREAK?!"

          Leafy's heart started to sink, and the cold feeling became even worse. "SHE'S A HORRIBLE FRIEND! WHY WOULD I EVER LOVE HER?!" Everything seemed to slow down.

          Four glared at Firey, and Leafy's expression became empty. Emptier than last time. Firey noticed, glaring at her more. "What's wrong? Upset because I'm right?" She looked at him, eyes hollow.

          "Go on! Show some emotion! I know you're mad!" He antagonized. She turned away, walking to the door. Four looked at her with confusion. Firey ran past him. "Oh no, don't go yet!"

          She sighed. "Stop." No emotion was present in her voice. "Why don't you play some games, I'm sure everyone wants to hang out with someone like you!" She stopped in place. "Do you really think anyone would really want to be your friend?"

          "Stop it." Her voice started to break. Firey knee he hit a nerve, so he went for the kill. "Stick around, I'm sure everyone would like to hear the story of how you stole Dream Island!" She grit her teeth, her breath hitching.

        "Firey! You've gone too far!" Taco raised her voice at him, and Four started to run to Leafy. Before he could she turned around, holding her hands out. "ENOUGH!" She screamed, and ice sprayed the ground.

        Icicles shot up from the ground, nearly stabbing Firey. Everyone gasped, staring at Leafy. Tears were running down her cheeks. She suddenly broke into a manic mixture of crying and laughter.

       "Leafy the monster! Leafy the thief! That's me!" She nearly fell to her knees. The orange coloring on her body started to spread, covering every bit of the green. "You're right! I don't deserve friends!"

        She started to back away slightly. "You wanted me to leave...well." She regained that cold expression. "I'm gone." She ran off, hearing her trio of friends call for her. She ran towards the edge of the lake, hesitantly stepping onto it.

      It froze, and she ran across the water, landing on a firm surface with every step. Taco and Coiny tried to run after her, along with the rest of the party goers. She was just too quick.

      Back inside, Firey was frozen in shock, as what he did started to sink in. He was interrupted from his thoughts, when suddenly he was thrown against the wall. He winced, looking up and seeing a very angry Four.

      "Do you just realize what you've done?!" He screeched in rage, picking Firey up by where he thought his throat was. He choked him, glaring him down. "This was my chance...I could have saved her!" He growled.

      "I had a second chance! And your dumb jealousy ruined everything!" He tossed Firey to the ground. He looked up at Four, noticing something shiny in his hand.

No.

Something shiny was his hand.

        He had grabbed Firey with his gloves hand, burning it away. Four seemed to notice, gasping slightly, and hiding it. The dark circles under his eyes were worse now. "When I come back...you're never seeing Leafy again."

        Four stormed off, his coat fluttering in the wind. Firey, in pain, lifted himself off the ground, and limped over to the door. It was snowing. Before Four completely left, he gave Firey a side glance.

        "A certain purple book in your library might be worth some interest." He cryptically spoke, before running off towards the now frozen lake. Firey sighed.

He really messed up this time, didn't he?

————————————————————————

(A/n): OKAY HEAR ME OUT-

Before you start raising your pitchforks for creating such an odd ship, which isn't exactly a ship, think for a moment.

There is a reason Four is so attached to Leafy... but what reason could that be? Think about his actions and his words...

Something's a little fishy...

And it is not Taco.

As for Firey being so mean, remember that
1: this is an au
2: his behavior will be explained as we continue.

So don't kill me yet-

But we finally see Leafy use her powers, although unintentionally.

What do you thinks gonna happen next?

Did you enjoy this chapter?

Was it filled with enough angst?

I hope you did enjoy it!

See you in the next chapter!