'Breathe in, breathe out… All is well with the world… Breathe in, breathe out… You are one with the universe… Breathe in, breathe out… All is in peace…'

Those were the thoughts going through his head whilst meditating. They had become his personal mantra, repeating those exact words in his head routinely. Every day he would sit on top of his desk in a in a half-lotus position, his thumb and middle finger from each hand touching each other and his eyes closed, trying to find serenity through the soothing sound of sitar music playing in the background. It was the only time of day Steve Small could escape from the real world, and enter his own. A world without worries, without sadness, without the pressures of everyday life…

Alas his moment of enlightenment had to be cut short when he heard a knock on his office door. Every time he returned to the real world after meditating he found the inside of his office so dull in comparison with the world in his mind. Sitting back behind his desk he couldn't help but notice how the walls needed to be repainted...

"Mr. Small?" he turned to his left to see a young peanut with antlers poking her head inside the room. Her expression transmitted uncertainty, which wasn't very usual for the young girl, who Steve was familiar with. He gave her an encouraging smile.

"Yes Penny, come right in." he gestured towards one of the free chairs in front of his desk. The preteen peanut made her way to one of the chairs, hugging her schoolbook tightly against her chest. 'Anxiety', Steve thought to himself, being an expert in the matter. "So, how can I help you today?"

"Well… the thing is… there's this boy I like…" she was starting to sweat. 'Ah, the dreaded subject of childhood crushes', he thought. "…and I think he likes me too, but… how can I be sure?"

"Well, Penny, love can work in mysterious ways." he got up from his chair and sat on the front of his desk to make Penny feel more comfortable. "You see, love is kind of like a jack-in-the-box. It seems plain and dull at first, but if your work on it, it will surprise you. Besides, you're still young. If it's meant to happen, it will." he finished by petting her head kindly. She smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Small. That really lifted up my spirits."

"Hey, that's why I'm here. Now go and learn, my young leader of tomorrow." he gestured towards the door in a somewhat heroic manner, which made Penny giggle. She was about to leave, but as she grabbed the doorknob, she turned back to the counselor.

"Mr. Small?"

"Yes, Penny?"

"Have you ever found true love?"

The adult cloud-man froze. That was a topic he rarely touched. His love life had been fleeting at best, filled with heartbreaks and disappointments, just like any other. Although he was technically in his forties, he had stopped aging when he turned twenty-seven, as everyone in his species did. Still, somehow he felt like he wasn't getting any younger, and most of the time he would end up feeling as lonely as can be.

"No, not yet. But I'm still looking!" he tried to fake a smile as best as he could, which Penny returned.

"Well, I hope you do. And thank you again for the advice." she exited, gently closing the door behind her and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He returned to his desk to try and organize some papers, but his mind was lost in thought. Normally when he thought about love, he would start demeaning himself, thinking no woman would ever love him for how he was. Most of the girls he had dated when he was younger weren't into the same things as him, and that would usually generate conflicts. He was all into veganism, sixties' music, independent film festivals… Generally he just had to tell a girl he didn't eat meat to make her run to the hills. Before he thought that it didn't matter that he didn't have anything in common with the girl he liked, but experience had proven him otherwise.

The thought of being alone forever made him sigh, but he was snapped out of his trance when he heard the sound of two different young male voices scream pass his office door, followed by heavy stomps that shook the floor enough to make him and his desk jump with his step the creature took. He didn't have to go see for himself to know what was going on, which he refused to do out of sheer terror.

Tina Rex was chasing someone.

AUTHOR'S NOTE (PLEASE READ)

If any of you read my profile, you must've seen this coming.

This fanfic will focus mostly on Mr. Small and my OC, who I'm going to pair him up with.

I'll try to update as fast as I can, but I've got a lot of school work in my hands, so please be patient.

And please enjoy. And don't forget to review! :)

And before you start complaining, I made up that thing about how he stopped aging when he turned twenty-seven. As far as I know it could be true, IDK...