Chapter Text
Keeping It In The Family
[Disclaimer: I do not own Freedom Planet, or any of its associated materials. All such items belong to their respective parties.]
Chapter 1: Guilty Pleasure
Stretching as she walked, Corazon added in a yawn while descending the steps of the Shang Tu palace. Her Friday shift of community service was over, and now she could relax for the weekend, but as she reached the bottom steps she felt an impending boredom. A part of her always wanted to run away from her duty and be free again, but her better judgment won over. After all, could Shang Tu ever catch her? They hadn’t before she involved herself with Merga, but she had also been forgiven for a lot of other crimes, and received an overwhelmingly light sentence. Escaping now would only set her back further, and alienate her sister much more. A drink sounds good, she thought, gazing off towards the bar, the sky tinting orange in afternoon sun. Askal was sure to be there in his favorite spot entertaining any company that would have him or forgive him.
The pilot groaned as she remembered he had other plans that night. Kalaw was always tied up pursuing his own goals, and was never around to hang out. Aaa was a fun creature, but not the type to be interested in her kind of party, and Corazon found herself dead set on getting hammered. She stuck her hands in her pockets and started walking towards the nearest store to pick up alcohol. I guess I’m drinking alone tonight, she thought begrudgingly. Before she could get far, the familiar thrum of a motorcycle came.
“Hey! Cory!” shouted the wildcat, pulling up beside her and turning off the engine. “Looks like I got here right on time.” She beamed and jumped off, lurching to give her sister a hug.
Corazon smiled and slowly wrapped her arms around her. She’d done everything she thought was right to protect her younger sister, but ultimately all of her wrong choices weighed on her. Sometimes Carol got on her nerves, but she was always delighted to have her around again. “Hey, kitten. Don’t you ever get tired of visiting me? I thought you’d be annoying Neera, or hanging out with your own friends.”
Carol pulled back and waved the thought away. “Nah. Lilac is still in Parusa looking for Merga, and Milla is hanging out with short stuff.” She scratched the back of her head as she glanced up to the palace. “I’ve already bothered scary lady enough this week. There’s a really delicate balance on how much I can annoy her before she tries to stab me with her spear.”
The pilot’s ears folded back. “You… really put that much thought into it, didn’t you?”
Carol shrugged. “So, what about you? Got any plans? We should totally hang out.”
The pilot frowned. “We hung out last weekend. And the weekend before that. And that. And every single day in between.”
The wildcat fidgeted and smiled. “I’m just… just making up for lost time, sis. I like hanging out with you. So, what’s the plan?”
Scrubbing a hand over her face, Corazon looked anywhere but her sister. “Uh, I’m going to get drunk tonight. I could use a bit of unwinding, and I don’t think—”
“Awesome! What are we drinking?”
Corazon shot her excited sister a bewildered look. “You… want to drink with me? Have you ever even had alcohol?”
“Sure I have. I’ll bet I could drink you under the table.”
The pilot squinted at her. “Yeah, I doubt that very much, but sure.” She smirked as she held out a hand. “I’ll take that bet. We’ll drink tonight, but not at a bar. If we’re getting wasted it’s going to be where I can sleep in my own bed. I’ll grab the supplies and meet you at the Sigwada.”
“You’re on, sis.” Carol shook her head and jumped on her bike. “Better hurry up.” She started her motorcycle and waved before zipping off towards the airship’s landing zone.
There is no chance she can hold her liquor past a few shots. Better grab some Batorade to keep her alive in the morning. After a small shopping trip, she jumped on her flying platform and took off towards the Sigwada, even flying over her sister. Sticking out her tongue, she ended with a grin as the wildcat was still several minutes out. Landing on the airship, she took a deep breath and entered the crew quarters, turning on a series of hallway lights. Right next to the switch was a note by Aaa.
Hey, captain. I’ll be at my buddy Milla’s house this weekend. Contact me if anything breaks. -Your engineer.
Perfect, thought Corazon. The entire airship would be to the sisters, though Aaa’s quarters were plenty out of the way so he could have the space to tinker in peace. Nonetheless, it was a small comfort that he wouldn’t be around for Carol to mess with, or to annoy them in the morning after with his exuberance. She sighed knowing she would be taking care of her sick sister in the morning, but it would be worth it just to tease her while she was hungover.
She navigated down to the kitchen, with the hallway opening up into a large room. In the far-left corner was a booth and table, and a bar on the right. The bar counter stretched along most of the kitchen cabinets, with the sink resting just behind. An assortment of cabinets, a stove, and a refrigerator lined the wall, a few appliances dotting the counters. Laying out her store haul on the bar counter, she catalogued the snacks, alcohol, and recovery items before eyeing the clock on her communicator. Well, if you’re going to be late, you’re just going to have to catch up.
She pulled the cork out of a bottle of whiskey and grabbed a pair of glasses, pouring herself a shot and downing it quickly. And then another, and another. After a while, Carol could be heard coming down an adjacent hallway, her exasperated breaths breaking the silence, but Corazon had already lost track of time.
“Sorry I’m late. I got a speeding ticket… again. Scary lady is going to kill me when I ask for another favor…” She entered the room and immediately groaned. “You started without me!”
Corazon grinned and poured another shot. “Get over here and throw back. I’m only three, or… maybe it’s five… shots deep.” As she watched her sister scurry over and take the shot, she made a disgusted face, and slid the glass to her for another. Pouring and watching her down another, the pilot looked impressed and amused. “To be honest, I didn’t think this was your thing.”
“Honestly, sis, it tastes awful,” replied Carol, making a face with each shot. “But it can be fun.”
“Want a chaser? I’ve got juices, fruity drinks, tea,” she winked at her sister, “soda, uh… wine. I think that’s it.”
The younger wildcat cocked her head. “Did… did you just make a pun to me?” She snatched the bottle and poured them both shots. “Oh, man. If this is what you’re like drunk this is going to be great.”
The two sisters went shot for shot for the next ten minutes at the dining table. After the liquor set in, Corazon was finding it a lot harder to track everything. At some point, Carol had been the one pouring her shots, and she wasn’t sure where either of them were at in number. She stood up and meandered towards one of the hallways, wobbling and keeping a hand on the wall for support.
“Hey-hey-hey! Don’t tell me yur chickenin’ out already!” the wildcat called, slurring her speech, and leaning further she should’ve.
“Sisssss. I’ve gotta pee sooo bad. I’ll be riiiiight back.” Corazon staggered into her bedroom, and across to the bathroom, pausing to look at herself in the mirror. I look so goofy, she thought, cracking a grin to match. When she returned, Carol was giggling to herself as she shakily poured another shot, spilling some around the glass. Corazon unceremoniously fell into her seat, using her arms on the table to stabilize herself. “Wha… What’d I miss?”
The wildcat stuck her head up and regained her composure long enough to speak. “I was just thinkin’… you were ooooone pissed kitty in there.” They stared at each other in astonishment before bursting out in laughter. When it died down, Carol peered around the room. “Hey, sissss. How come yur single?”
Corazon blinked a couple times, and snorted. “’Cause I’ve got a dork of a sister like you cramping my ssstyle,” she explained, grabbing at her jacket and grinning.
Appearing faux offended, the wildcat leaned back in the chair. “Pshaw. I am your style. But reallllly. I wanna know. What’s a pretty kitty like you doing alone on this big ol’ airship?”
The pilot took a deep breath, and then drank two more shots back to back. When she set the glass down, she stared off into space, the room undulating to her extreme drunkenness. “I… don’t… know…” she mused aloud. “Do you… really think I’m pretty?” she asked, expressing her surprise.
“What!? You’re the cutest cat I know.”
Corazon sat back in her chair and smiled. “Aww, you’re really cute, too, sis.” She hummed and let her gaze drift around the lights on the ceiling before closing her eyes. “And here I always thought—" Her eyes shot open as she found Carol’s lips pressed to her own, feeling her tongue in her mouth, and she managed a startled moan. What the fuck. When the wildcat pulled away, a satisfied-yet-expectant look was held in her eyes, and Corazon was speechless. No words could form in her mind, and she only played the kiss back. She stood up and wobbled, grabbing the table for support and looked up at Carol. Taking a step forward, she grabbed her arms, confusing the wildcat. Dozens of sentences cobbled together, some telling her to address the action with condemnation, and others with curiosity pushing for more. Ya know what? …Fuck it. Planting a kiss on the wildcat’s lips, she started guiding her down a hallway and into her bedroom. Closing the door behind them, she shimmied out of her jacket as the pair fell onto the bed together.
***
Corazon sucked air through her nose as she awoke, unleashing a monstrously large, yet quiet yawn. Her head pounded, and she could feel her stomach churning, but more than anything, she really had to pee. Slowly, she shuffled to the edge of her bed and sat up. Why… am I naked? she wondered, squinting in the dark. She shrugged, thinking it wasn’t all that unusual to go commando for her sleep, even if she seldom did it. Heading to the bathroom, she navigated to the toilet in the dark. Quickly relieving herself, she returned to her bed to find someone else in it. She cocked her head and squinted again, trying to make out their form. Did I… bring someone home with me last night? The queasiness in her stomach overrode her thoughts, and she sat down on the edge, rubbing her eyes. She took her communicator off the night stand, using its faint light to illuminate just enough to make out her bedfellow.
She froze, her eyes wide with the terror, scanning the form over and over. Rubbing her eyes, and taking an additional, closer look didn’t change the revelation. Opening her mouth, she was poised to shriek, but stopped herself. Carol!? Holy shit what happened last night!? She clutched her head as the surge of adrenaline and fear caused it to pound in tandem with her accelerated heartbeat. Wait, no. Calm down. We got too drunk, and she probably just passed out in my room cause it’s easier. She relaxed, and her breathing slowed with the new rationalization of what happened. How much did I drink last night? The wildcat in her bed shifted, and the blanket slipped away to reveal that she was also in the nude.
Oh god! I have to get the hell out of here, pronto! She scrambled to pluck her clothes off of the floor in the dark, and then get dressed. She wasn’t sure what she was picking, but they felt a bit tight. She chalked it up to being bloated from something she ate, but she shimmied into an outfit nonetheless. It definitely felt showier than she was used to, but it didn’t matter as long as she had something on. Making her way for the door her heart sank as the worst possible scenario played out.
“Cory?”
There weren’t many things that Corazon could think of that would lead her to abandoning her sentence and fleeing from the Shang Tusian government, and this wasn’t one of them. However, she mentally penciled it into the top of the list in that moment. The headache and nausea were getting worse, and if she didn’t escape the stress was going to cause her to barf all over her room.
Carol sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Cory, are you leaving?”
The pilot swallowed hard and steadied herself. She put all of her willpower into sounding as normal as possible and praying Carol would simply go back to bed. “I’m just going out on the deck to get some fresh air.”
“W-Wait, Cory!”
Lurching for the door, Corazon opened it, but the wildcat had already fled her bed and closed the gap, latching onto her as she stepped into the hallway. She petrified as she could feel the embrace tighten around her midsection. Her heart constricted in unison, pounding ruthlessly in her chest as the panic mounted.
“You’re going to run away, aren’t you, Cory? Please,” Carol whispered softly, “don’t leave me again. I’ll do anything to make you stay. Just stay with me…”
Oh. My. GOD! Corazon could feel her soul burning, and her stomach revolting, as the wildcat squeezed even tighter. “C-Carol,” she muttered, unable to maintain her composure any longer. “I promise I’m staying, but… I need to… go… I need you to… let go…”
“No,” the younger sister replied, laying her head against her back, and resting her tail against the pilot’s leg. “I don’t want to lose you again. And also, I don’t want you to steal my clothes.”
“S-Sis… It’s not—Oh god…” Without warning, the pilot ripped away and bolted to the bathroom, successfully pulling up the toilet seat and dropping to her knees, retching into the bowl in a single, fluid motion. After several labored heaves, with a few whines in between, she flushed the toilet and slumped against the wall. She panted and shuffled up to the shower, finding herself too weak and too comfortable to move now.
“Are you okay?” Carol said, entering the room and studying her with concern.
“Ohmygod, sis, put on some clothes!” Corazon mustered the strength to block her eyes as they fell on her sister’s naked body. Her face was already flushed from vomiting, so it hid the inevitable blush.
Carol folded her arms and frowned. “You’re wearing my clothes.”
“Just… Anything! Go raid my closet! I don’t care. Just put something on!” Corazon heard her walk away and she let her arms down, panting as she lay there. She looked down and noticed she was indeed wearing her sister’s outfit. She hung her head and caught her breath, and after a moment, Carol returned wearing Corazon’s clothes. The wildcat had gone as far as putting on her goggles to complete the look.
“Better?” Carol asked, smirking.
“Just… get me some water. Please.” Corazon picked herself up and grabbed a few aspirin before making her way to the kitchen. She slumped into the booth, and took her medicine as soon as the wildcat put the glass on the table. Carol sat down opposite of her again and simply waited in silence. Studying the alcohol remaining on the table, the pilot arched a brow at the large empty liquor bottle, as well as a second, smaller one. “How are you not even hungover?”
“Oh, I’m definitely feeling it, but you just kept going after I threw in the towel. Honestly, I think you were just trying to show off.” She slowly reached across the table and took one of Corazon’s hands, prompting the older sister to glance up. “Hey, so… about last night.”
“Oh, no. I’ve realllllly gotta go.” Corazon jumped up and dashed for the exit.
“W-Wait, Cory!” the wildcat called, chasing after her. She stumbled and the pilot exited the Sigwada, rushing out into the late morning sun.
Without hesitating, Corazon leaped onto her aerial platform and flew off into Shang Tu, her sister hollering after her. Immediately, her communicator started ringing from Carol, but she muted it as she descended into the city. Landing down near the palace, she wandered among the crowd. Holy shit, holy fuck. This can’t be happening! The panic fully set in, and the pilot started to hyperventilate and tremble. She staggered to the nearest bench and sat down, trying to catch her breath and calm down, but the more the events spun in her mind the worse it became, and all of it compounded by a painful headache. She leaned forward and clasped her face in her hands. My own sister! How could I do that to her!? I can’t ever face her again! I have… I have to leave… I have to get out of here… I have to… She froze as tears welled in her eyes. God damn it… I promised her I wouldn’t…