Bacteria. It was all because of bacteria.

Ok, that's not necessarily true, but bacteria was a component of it.

Actually, a by-product of bacteria . . .

Maybe we should start at the beginning.

Derek Venturi, a 17 year old warm blooded male, was sitting in the kitchen, fist under his chin, eyes lazily staring into space.

And what filled that space? Casey MacDonald, Derek's 17 year old stepsister. She didn't notice that he was looking at her though. Because Derek had mastered staring at someone, while making it look like he was dead.

As he sat in the kitchen, flipping through some random magazine on the counter, he noticed her enter the room, humming a tune he didn't know. She swept past him, not even batting an eyelash in his direction.

And that was when he realized that she reached for the blender.

Oh, he knew what was going to happen. He'd watched it countless times before. So Derek settled into his seat, completely forgot the open magazine in front of him, and put the most impassive look upon his face that he could muster.

And then it started. Casey began gathering the ingredients. A banana, some strawberries, orange juice, a few ice cubes and a container of yogurt.

Derek knew this combination. Together it created the palest shade of pink he'd ever seen. It was a pretty pink, nothing too vibrant, but rather mellow and subdued. No, Derek had absolutely no qualms about this particular color.

And so, he secretly watched her. He watched as she meticulously chopped the banana into small pieces using a dull knife, eating the ends that she was unable to cut small enough to her liking. He watched her remove the stems from the strawberries, using the same knife to quarter the deep red fruit. He watched her spoon out the yogurt from the container into the blender, licking both the spoon and knife of any residual food before tossing them lightly into the sink, which clanged when metal hit metal. And finally, she dropped the fruit and ice cubes into the blender after the yogurt, followed by just a splash of orange juice.

As it buzzed, blending everything into a creamy mixture, Derek's gaze never faltering, Casey put the orange juice away and tossed the empty yogurt container into the garbage can. She grabbed a glass and a straw from the counter, before returning to the blender across from him.

In no time at all, the blender turned off, the smoothie was poured and a straw was inserted into the drink. He never tired of watching Casey drinking anything from a straw. And the thicker the drink, the better for Derek.

There was just something about watching those lips silenced by the fruity confection she made. And then there was her tongue, which would slide out of her mouth to catch the drops on her lips. And finally the little sighs of appreciation Casey made as she swallowed her chilled treat.

Watching Casey drink her smoothie was definitely one of Derek's favorite pastimes.

So he continued to watch her. He watched as she drank her smoothie, finger nails tapping out the unknown beat against the table top as her other hand flipped through a magazine of her own. He watched with dismay as Casey's pink drink made its descent, some of which clung to the sides of the clear glass.

And with the glass now empty, Derek's favorite part of this particular activity, Casey removed the straw from the now empty glass, the remaining smoothie lingering on the outside, shimmering in the fluorescent light of the kitchen. With bated breath, Derek watched as Casey's lower lip caught the end of the straw, her fingers pulling it between her lips, allowing her to enjoy every last drop.

Derek opened his mouth to tease Casey about the drop on the corner of her mouth, but nothing came as the tip of her tongue licked her lips, completely missing the spot he was going to tell her about.

And then, he snapped. The small, pink, fruity speck taunting him from across the island.

"Derek, what're you-" Casey began as he made his way over to her, addressing him for the first time since this whole ordeal began.

But his tongue on the corner of her mouth, which then traveled across her lips, licking up the last of the smoothie, completely cut her off. When he pulled back, he watched as her own tongue quickly followed the path his just took.

"I," he cleared his throat. "I just wanted a taste."

Her brows knitted in confusion and she waited for him to explain. Or perhaps, she was shocked to the point that she was unable to form a coherent sentence.

"The yogurt," he said lamely, nodding in the direction of the garbage can.

Before she could say anything or begin to yell, Derek turned and headed towards the stairs.

"Derek?" He almost made it out of the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever had guacamole?" He spun around to face her. "Because I was thinking of making some later," there was a playful smile on her face

He grinned. "Knock on my door when it's done."

Now all he had to do was find out what it was made out of. Hopefully, bacteria wouldn't be involved and she could drink it out of a straw.


A/N: Well, I do hope you all enjoyed this short story. It was inspired by a friend who informed me that he thought it was 'oh so sexy' when a girl drinks out of a straw. To which I hit him over the head, because I was drinking out a straw. Then we somehow got onto the subject of yogurt (I think because it was in my smoothie) and he freaked out when I told him it had to do with bacteria.

And, with his comment stuck in my head, I remembered Casey wanting Lizzie and/or Nora to make her a smoothie in Freaked out Friday . . . and this is what came of it. I couldn't think of another type of food to have at the end, so I went with guacamole. It just seems like something Derek wouldn't have tried before, or would really know what is involved with it. Sorry if anyone disagrees, but if you have a better suggestion, let me know.

Disclaimer: I own nothing