Brainy didn't know how she came to agree to this. The last thing she could remember was Mammoth Mutt urging her to get ready for "a special event."

When she asked if everyone else from the patrol was invited, Mammoth Mutt quickly shook her head with a mischievous smile. "For girls only," she added.

This did nothing but confuse the mighty leader even more, but deciding to trust Mammoth, she sighed and went to get her cape in what seemed the middle of the night.

Then again, in space it's always dark except for the many beautiful stars and planets surrounding them.
---

Her confusion multiplied by tenfold when they arrived to Kiara James, Wonder Poodle's home. A picturesque, tall mansion with warm, spring colors.

"What are we doing here?" she questioned to her small-sized, childhood friend.

"Oh, nothing!" Mammoth Mutt smirked slyly again, "Just having a sleepover with the squad." She chortled to herself before walking away towards the entrance.

Brainy's mouth hung open in something akin to horror and her eyes widened like plates. What had this darn pink Chihuahua gotten her into?!

"You must be joking, no?" Brainy pleaded, expression desperate for an escape from this strange situation.

"Nope, it's for reals!" Mammoth's happy grin widened. "We saw how stressed out and tired you were this morning, so me and the girls prepared something to cheer you up!"

"By 'the girls,' you refer to...?"

"Kiara, obviously!" Mammoth Mutt playfully rolled her dark blue eyes. "But... um, she also invited her best friends... Hope you don't mind new company?" She gave the taller, lavender dog an awkward chuckle.

Brainy glared at her friend with a blank expression, before face-pawing. She already disliked this.
---

Soon enough after ringing the doorbell, a  grey-haired, wise-looking human lady, opened the door for them with a soft smile. "You must be the friends Kiara talked about," she spoke to them; which took them more than by surprise.

Usually, humans didn't talk to dogs.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here." She proceeded to give them a polite bow before directing them to the long flight of marble stairs in front of them. "Shall we?"

"Weird," Mammoth Mutt muttered under her breath, but Brainy could hear her clearly. "She's almost like Kevin, you know? Like she can speak with animals—"

"In fact, I can." Both alien canines jumped from shock when the old lady responded, without even glancing back at them, her beaming smile still on her face. She turned around and her silver-rimmed glasses glinted in the light of the chandeliers.

"B- But... How?!" Mammoth Mutt couldn't help but shriek, letting her 'cool girl' act slip for a second. Brainy stood speechless next to her, afterwards taking a more cautious position and staring at the strange lady of the long scarlet dress. "Kevin has a Kryptonian earphone so he can understand us!"

"I don't possess such an artifact..." the lady told Mammoth Mutt, calm as ever. "But I have my own ways. Anyway, my name is Madame James, may I learn yours?" she said friendly.

Mammoth Mutt scrunched her nose a bit, her eyebrows crashing down as well. She glanced at Brainy, who seemed ready to take a surprise attack at any moment. But thankfully before things could escalate from there, they saw a familiar white and black figure behind Madame James.

"Brainy! Mammoth Mutt!" she exclaimed, artic blue eyes widening in surprise. But her astonishment quickly changed to cheer. "You're here already! Quick, come upstairs!"

Then she noticed her owner standing close to them and gave them a apologetic chuckle. "Oh, right. I forgot to mention Madame." She trotted towards them, dressed in something Brainy could only assume were peach-colored pajamas.

Did Earth dogs wear pajamas?

"Oh, so those are your names," Madame James said, her eternal smile turning into slight curiosity.

Kiara nodded at her with a beaming smile. "Yes! Mammoth Mutt is on the right, and Brainy Barker on the left."

"Pleased to meet you," the lady of the house said politely, afterwards shifting around. "I'm gonna go get you guys some treats. Can you wait upstairs at Kiara's room?"

"Huh, yes..." Brainy finally spoke. "Thank you very much."

"It's nothing." Then she walked away.

The three dogs were left in an awkward silence. "So... err... you got your own Kevin Whitney?" Mammoth Mutt asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Kiara chuckled a bit. "Well... Not really... I can explain everything to you upstairs."
---

Soon they found themselves in a gigantic room for a pet. "Madame James must truly consider Kiara family to give her a palace like this," Brainy thought with strong awe and surprise.

Inside the place weren't only superheroes, but Kiara's best friends as Mammoth mentioned: an elegant-looking Shiba Inu who gave her a sharp glance, and a peppy, red Cocker Spaniel who stared at them with eyes as bright as stars.

The two introduced themselves. "My name is Yoko," the Shiba Inu with the silk pink scarf said, "Glad to make your acquaintance." She didn't smile once, but she didn't seem cold either.

Brainy could actually relate to her a bit on that part.

"I'm Cindy!" the other girl squealed, literally jumping in the air. "Nice to meet you! Kiara talked a lot about you!"

"S- She did?" Brainy stuttered slightly.

"Yeah!" Cindy affirmed; tail wagging. "She said you're one of the most intelligent and wise leaders she knew!"

"Oh." Was all Brainy could manage to say, quite flattered from the compliment.

Kiara agreed with a cheery hum. "Indeed. You're really admirable," she told her. "I hope someday to be as capable as a superhero as you and the rest of the Dog Star Patrol."

Both Mammoth Mutt and Brainy smiled sheepishly. "Thanks! But you're already on a great path, Wonder Poodle!" Mammoth said, and Brainy nodded with a small smile.

The five dogs continued their chatter for a long while; and Brainy Barker had to admit she didn't feel as uncomfortable as she thought she would.

She actually... felt good. Relaxed. Was this what having normal, best friend parties felt like?

Actually, she could remember feeling like this not too long ago... when she was with Bat-Hound. But somehow the sensation felt more warm and unique back then—

The moment he nearly kissed her crossed her mind.

"Are you okay, Brainy?" Kiara asked with a raised brow, sounding worried.

Suddenly, her face flushed pink, and she gazed away from everyone else, who stared at her weirdly.

"Hmm!" Mammoth Mutt's cerulean eyes narrowed, suspicious of her behavior. "You've been acting strange ever since this morning, Brainy... Did... did something happen with Krypto?"

"Krypto?! Oh, gosh!" Cindy immediately sat up, grin widening. "Do you mean Kiara's very cute neighbor?!"

"Cindy!" Yoko chided her. Kara's face also displayed a blush, as she glanced away, clearly embarrassed.

"H- H- Huh..." Brainy couldn't think straight. They didn't know she had faced Krypto's indirect rejection just a day ago. They didn't know how much it hurt her.

"Did you confess to him after all?!" Mammoth Mutt also jumped forward with anticipation.

"Eh— I mean— I—" The violet Saluki couldn't form a sentence informing them what happened. It was just too much, even for her to swallow. "Krypto..." she murmured, looking down with a saddened expression, as her blush became a brighter red.

"... You didn't? Did you?" Mammoth sighed softly, before moving towards her brooding friend and giving her a hug. "It's all fine, Brainy," she consoled her sincerely, snuggling her face next to her friend's head.

"Don't feel bad because of it," she continued, "It takes a lot of courage."

Small pools of tears formed inside her lime green eyes, which she pushed back with her long, dark eyelashes. "I'm a coward, then..."

"Of course not!" both Kiara and Mammoth exclaimed in unison, taking each other by surprise, but in a good way.

"Feelings don't disappear by themselves," Kiara said, approaching them. "You need to admit them so they can either grow, or wither." She laid a reassuring paw in Brainy's back. "It's very special advice someone very special gave to me."

"Who was that special someone?" Mammoth asked curiously.

"Wonder Woman." Kiara smiled at them with pride. "And I think it's advice worth taking, no?" she whispered to Brainy with gentle eyes.

"But..." Brainy lifted her head to stare at her, doubtful, "What if confessing causes more pain than happiness? What if it's not the right thing to do?"

Kiara frowned a bit, taking time to think over the question. "Even though that it's a possibility... You still can't be completely sure. The only way to find out, is doing it."

Brainy's teary gaze disappeared, and instead was replaced with the most determined face she had made in ages. "Then I will confess to Krypto."

-
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