When Penny woke up in the morning, she found herself unable to move and was very afraid. The reason she was afraid was because somehow, a stranger she didn’t know was hugging her petite body as if she was some sort of body pillow.
The grip they had on her body wasn’t strong by any means but it was cloying and sticky as if she was a shoe and they were gum. Just as she was about to yell for help, the person rolled and ended up on top of her, causing Penny to practically suffocate under the substantial presence of their chest.
She flailed as much as she could but it was to no avail and she felt her vision slowly fading.
"Lily... What are you...PENNY?!"
Lily woke up with a start as Adam’s booming voice entered her ear.
"I’m up! I’m up!...Wait, why are you in my room?!"
"Just get off of her already!"
He shouted in a panic, hands trembling slightly as he had no idea how long things had been .
"What are you talking about....Oh...Oh my.."
Lily looked down and saw the pale face of the girl she had met only once for a few brief moments before she passed out. The girl was writhing about weakly as her eyes began to roll back.
Immediately letting go upon realizing what she had done, Lily had a sheepish look on her face while Penny gasped for air as if she had been drowning.
To her in that moment, the air had never tasted this sweet.
Adam rushed over and knelt beside the bed, checking on Penny with wide eyes. "Hey, hey, are you okay? Talk to me!"
Penny gave a shaky thumbs-up, still struggling to catch her breath. "I... I think I saw the light... it had sprinkles..."
Lily clasped her hands together, mortified. "Oh no. I swear I didn’t mean to! I must’ve crawled into the wrong bed in my sleep! It was dark and I was tired and everything felt soft!"
"You almost crushed her!" Adam scolded, voice rising with every word. "How do you not notice you’re sleeping on another person?!"
"I thought it was a big plushie!" Lily squeaked. "One of those really fancy ones! I was wondering why it felt so... alive!"
Penny let out a cough and slowly sat up, her hair a complete mess and her face flushed from more than just lack of oxygen. "I thought I was going to die," she muttered, voice hoarse.
Lily scooted back with her hands raised in surrender. "I am so, so sorry. Please don’t hate me. You’re just really soft and warm and... wait, that sounds weird."
Adam dragged a hand down his face. "We are never talking about this again."
"Boobs are the enemy..." Penny whispered as she hugged her knees.
Lily’s face went bright red. "Hey! That’s slander! My boobs are innocent!"
Penny looked up at her, eyes still glassy. "They tried to kill me."
"I was unconscious too! They were acting without orders!"
Adam groaned and stood up. "I’m going to go make coffee before this turns into a court trial."
As he walked off muttering about needing stronger coffee and possibly a sedative, Penny and Lily stared at each other in an awkward silence.
"...So," Lily started, brushing her wild hair behind her ears. "First impressions aside, nice to officially meet you."
Penny raised an eyebrow. "You tried to smother me in my sleep."
"And yet, you lived," Lily said with a wobbly smile. "That means we’re bonded now. Survivors of a shared traumatic experience."
Penny narrowed her eyes. "This wasn’t a warzone. You invaded my bed!."
"Technically this is Luna’s bed... I get your point."
Penny gave her a blank stare, unamused by the technicality.
Lily held up her hands. "Okay, okay. No excuses. I’ll make it up to you. Breakfast on me. I’ll even let you pick the cereal. Any box in the cupboard. Even the limited edition marshmallow one that Leo hides behind the oats."
Penny’s expression didn’t change.
"...And I won’t speak for five whole minutes."
There was a pause. That offer seemed to land harder.
Penny sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Fine. But if you try to cuddle me again, I’m calling pest control."
Adam returned not long after, but this time he wasn’t alone. Luna followed behind him, still in her oversized sleep shirt and rubbing one eye with a look of deep, resigned fatigue. Leo trailed after her with a mug already in hand, looking far too amused for someone who had only just woken up.
"You weren’t kidding," Leo muttered as he caught sight of Penny sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and Lily perched beside her like a guilty cat caught on a countertop.
"Morning," Luna said gently, moving past the tension in the room with practiced ease. She walked over to Penny and crouched next to her, giving her a once-over. "You doing alright?"
Penny blinked, startled by the warmth in Luna’s voice. She nodded slowly. "Yeah... better. Breathing is nice."
Luna smiled. "Always a plus."
There was something calming about her presence. Where Lily was noise and chaos and all-too-close proximity, Luna felt grounded. Steady. She didn’t hover or fuss, but made it clear she cared. Penny found herself relaxing just a little more.
Adam leaned toward Leo, voice barely a whisper.
"So... do you see it too?"
Leo didn’t even turn his head. He just stared straight ahead like a man being questioned under a spotlight.
"I see nothing. I value my life. Don’t even finish that sentence."
Adam tried again, a little quieter. "But they’re kind of... the same? Like same height, same frame, same—"
Leo slowly rotated his head with the kind of dead-eyed look usually reserved for horror movie protagonists. "If you say ’same chest’ I will run and let them beat you to death without blinking."
Adam backed off, swallowing hard. "Got it. We take this one to the grave."
Before either could say anything else, the door swung open wide with a bang.
"Yo, why is everyone awake so early? Did someone burn the kitchen or—"
Rachel stepped in mid-stretch, yawning dramatically until she caught the mood in the room. Her eyes landed on Penny’s flushed face, Lily’s embarrassment, and Adam trying to fade into the wallpaper.
"What did I miss?" she asked, already grinning.
Lily groaned into her hands. "Do not ask."
Rachel walked in anyway, curiosity flaring brighter. "No, come on. What happened? Somebody spill. Did someone hook up? Did someone cry? Did Leo finally snap and throw hands?"
Penny looked up, face still pale. "I almost died."
That stopped Rachel in her tracks.
"She really did," Adam said, still sounding a little shaken. "When I got here, she was already suffocating.."
Rachel blinked and slowly turned her head toward Lily, who looked like she wanted to crawl under the bed and never return.
"Wait. Wait, hold on. Are you telling me... you almost killed her?"
"It was an accident!" Lily squeaked.
"She rolled on top of me," Penny said, deadpan. "While asleep. I couldn’t breathe."
Rachel stared for a beat, then let out an explosive laugh.
"Are you serious? You almost got smothered by boobs in your sleep?"
Penny’s eyes twitched. "It wasn’t funny at the time."
"No, no, of course not," Rachel said between bursts of laughter, nearly doubled over. "But now? Hilarious."
Luna calmly watched Rachel with a cold expression as the latter wheezed.
"I mean seriously," Rachel continued. "Do you know how many people would pay to go out like that? Boys, girls, confused freshmen. Straight to the Halls of Valhalla for that glorious death~!"
Penny buried her face in her hands.
This was her life now. She would be lying if she said she had no regrets.