Mine
The Sole Survivor

–
"Hey Grim! Let's make some gravy out of this mud right here!"

Mandy sometimes wonders why she constantly hangs out with a moron like Billy. Okay, all the time would be a more accurate word. She even goes as far to be friends with the Grim Reaper, of all people. She wondered why she had friends at all. She didn't need them. She didn't have any use for them. Maybe they were just for her personal amusement? Or maybe they were her pawns until she could take over the world and rule with an iron fist.

Even still, she wonders. She painfully tries to remember why she degrades her sanity to stay with Billy. As she sits with him and Grim in Billy's backyard, she sighs and leans against the old tree, listening to the idiot and her slave bicker, and letting her thoughts scatter mindlessly.

"Billy! I told you before! You can't make gravy out of mud, man! It is not sanitary and it's disgusting!" Grim protested in revulsion. Rolling her coal black eyes, Mandy lazily scoots the pair of sunglasses further up her nose as she relaxes. Moments after Grim's rebuttal, Billy's loud voice argued strongly, his eyes narrowed into defensive slits.

"Yeah huh, Grim! I've done it before, and it doesn't taste any different!" The Reaper stuttered for a few seconds before slapping his bony hand against his face, sliding it down to his chin slowly with a glare. He threw his hand out in dismissal and plopped himself beside the blonde girl in a huff, leaning his scythe against the tree behind them.

"Whatever you say, Billy." He muttered disdainfully, his eyes narrowed in irritation. Billy grins in victory and begins to parade around the backyard in a circle. Mandy hummed softly and tried to block them out again. Her thoughts still had her puzzled. Were they a weakness for her? Maybe they were and she didn't know? "Child, what are you thinking so hard about?" Grim asked as his head turned toward her in curiosity. It was only every so often that one would see such a calm look on the girl's face. Mandy grunted again and reached up to slide the glasses down so she could see over them.

"Can't I have a moment of silence without you two bugging me?" She asked darkly, her dark eyebrows curving down slightly at him. The skeleton frowned when she averted her eyes and focused on the young boy running around in circles. Grim paused before he answered.

"Well, if you want peace and quiet, I suggest you get rid of dat thing." He pointed at Billy, who now was trying to play hopscotch with poor Milkshakes. He failed horribly. Mandy followed Billy with her eyes, almost disinterestedly before shrugging.

"Why don't you do it?" She remarked, pushing the sunglasses back in front of her eyes. "I'm comfortable here." The Grim Reaper watched her carefully for a few seconds before standing up and getting in front her vision, blocking the young boy behind them out of view. The young blonde glared and stood up herself, expecting a fight, but blinked in surprise when Grim crossed his arms.

"Why do you hang out with him?" He asked, thumbing behind him at Billy, whose head appeared to be stuck in the fence. Grim searched her eyes before grinning. "You like him, don't you?" Mandy surprised him by scoffing and turning away.

"Please, I don't like anybody." She stated blankly, a hint of threat in her tone, as if daring Grim to question her further. Although he knew what would be the consequences, he was dying to find out. It was now or never, he decided. Grim sighed and reached out to grab his scythe, causing Mandy to go on guard. She glared at him.

"Mandy, answer my question. Why do you stay with him?" Grim asked with his voice full of innocence and raging curiosity. Or at least, he hoped. Suddenly behind them, Billy called for his blonde friend.

"Mandy! The fence is playing hide and go seek! I can't find it!" He laughed, his head still lodged between the planks as he struggled to free himself. Mandy sighed and shook her head. Completely avoiding the Reaper, she walked around him and up to her idiotic friend and snatched him by his ear and jerked him clean from the fence.

"Be careful, Billy." She spoke tonelessly, giving the boy a glare. Billy sat dazed on the floor for a few seconds before grinning widely, his eyes bright and excited.

"Thanks, Mandy!" He shot up and ran off again, out of view. Grim came up behind her, his arms crossed again and his face expressionless as he waited. Mandy growled and clenched her fists. She faced away from him as she shook with visible anger.

"What do you want to hear Grim? That I fell in love with Billy, that I can't live without him, that I'd be lost if I were to lose him?" She spoke through gritted teeth, as though it pained her to say the questions aloud. Grim gaped at the back of her head, his arms hanging limply by his sides. He hadn't expected her to admit it. He looked around, looking a little lost.

"Well, yeah, something like dat." He grumbled, and his voice was surprised. Slowly, Mandy turned to face the Reaper, her eyes burning with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. In that instant, Grim didn't feel the need to know anymore. He laughed weakly and backed away, his hands up in a non-defensive gesture. "Alright child, calm down…" He began but yelped in fright when she reached up quickly and seized him by the front of his cloak and yanked him down to her level. He could feel the anger waves radiating off of her and he gulped. Mandy brought her other hand up and slid off her sunglasses as she glared heatedly into Grim's used-to-be eyes.

"Let's get something straight here, you useless bag of bones." She spoke softly, her voice trembling with restrained rage. "I do not love Billy. I do not care for him. I do not crave his company, and I do not need him." Mandy pulled the Reaper closer with each declaration. "Billy is mine. He's mine to mess with, he's mine to control. He's my idiot and he's my property. Nobody is allowed to take him away unless I give them permission. Understand?" She spoke in a whisper now, sending chills down Grim's spine. He nodded with his eye sockets wide. Satisfied, she let him drop to the ground and turned to walk away. Slowly, the cloaked skeleton stood up and brushed off his torso.

"Sheesh, I just asked a simple question…" He grumbled and began after the irked girl. He figured he might as well keep up with her in case she yells at him for not doing so. Just as he rounded the corner of the house, he stopped dead at hearing Billy's voice. It sounded like he was pleading with Mandy. He hurriedly melted into the shadows and eavesdropped on the two of them.

"Please, Mandy?" He asked with his hands before him as he groveled. "I promise it won't take long!" The blonde girl had her arms crossed, eyeing Billy with a rare suspicious and curious expression that Grim had never seen on her. The skeleton watched in awe, like he was observing a dramatic soap opera.

"No, Billy." She spoke flatly. The young boy frowned and stood up with a defiant glare on his face. He reached up and straightened his red hat. He began walking towards her slowly, making her back into the wall of the house. She was deadpan, no glare on her face at all. She even seemed a bit nervous, but that's only if one looked hard enough into her eyes. Once her back hit the house, she clenched her fists and finally, her eyebrows knotted together.

"Billy, I said no." She repeated lowly.

That didn't stop Billy. He kept walking until he was eye-to-eye with her. They stared at each other before the young boy reached up slowly and touched Mandy's face gently. Grim expected there to be an all out brawl by this point, but nothing violent happened. Mandy didn't even discipline him for coming into contact with her. The blonde girl even seemed to relax as Billy's hand slid down her cheek to her chin. There was the strangest expression on his face, like he was concentrating hard on something important, for once in his life, at least. Mandy closed her eyes tightly and turned her head away, her trademark glare dark on her face.

"Get away. You know better." She commanded angrily. Her voice finally seemed to bring Billy out of his focus. He blinked before a smile erupted on his face, his tongue poking out the corner of it. Grim watched in surprise as Billy snatched Mandy and pulled her close to him in a tight, bone-crushing hug. "Billy, let me go!" She growled out. The blonde girl grunted and struggled, her hands pushing against him in her attempt to get away.

"How come you let Irwin but not me?" Grim had to strain to hear Billy, causing Mandy to stop struggling suddenly as her eyes opened and she glanced at the young boy. What in the world did Billy want from Mandy that she wouldn't give him? Leaning closer, the Reaper watched them both directly, an evil grin working its way on his face. Mandy sighed, bringing Grim from his thoughts.

"Billy, I don't like you." She muttered sternly as her arms dangled by her sides in defeat, allowing him to hold her. Pulling away quickly, Billy glared at her.

"So what do you have to lose, then?" He questioned seriously, causing both Grim (from the sidelines) and Mandy to stare at him in bewilderment. The blonde girl racked her brain for an appropriate answer, but nothing came to mind. In rebuttal, she glared back hotly and raised her hand to smack him away.

"Don't be stupid –"

And was promptly quieted by a pair of lips crashing into hers. So caught up in the moment, the two didn't even hear Grim as he lost his balance and fell to the ground in his alarm. Mandy screwed her eyes shut and stood still, her fists clenching tightly. Billy grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away after a minute. Breathing hard through her nose, Mandy opened one eye and saw a satisfied Billy grinning at her stupidly.

"Better?" She asked darkly as her other eye opened. Billy nodded quickly, his hand swiping across his forehead as though to wipe away the sweat. "Good." In one quick motion, Mandy threw her fist out with as much force as she could muster and hit the young boy square in his jaw, sending him flying across the yard. Huffing, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Grim slowly came up behind her, his eyes wide.

"Mandy, why –?" Quickly, the young blonde turned to look at him out of the corner of her eye, stopping the Reaper dead in his tracks. Mandy remembered her thoughts from just minutes before and rephrased them in according to how she felt right then. Maybe Billy was sort of her weakness, in a very violent way. Yes, she'd still knock him silly, but only Billy could kiss her and not have Mandy pummel him within an inch of his after-life. The blonde girl understood faintly why she kept Billy around.

He kept her sane.

"Like I said before," She began eerily; walking in the direction Billy was thrown in. "Billy is mine."

–
A/N: Well, here it is, the most random one-shot of Billy and Mandy, in my opinion. I really hope I kept them all in character. If not, then I enjoy it all the same. I really liked the idea of Mandy and Billy having this real special relationship, something that couldn't be broken easily.
Then I came up with the idea of Mandy just needing to keep Billy in her life, not because she likes him, but because he belonged to her, and only her. This story isn't really how I pictured it in my head. Be warned, I might take it down to revise. So if you see it missing, don't be alarmed, I'm just fixing a few things. It's not exactly satirical like I'd hoped, but it has its own sweetness to it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Billy, Mandy or Grim. Maxwell Atoms does and he does a fine job of it.