A/N: A fluffy plot bunny attacked me the other day and forced me to write this. Besides, the fanfiction world needs a lot more RyouxLettuce love. It's a beautiful thing, people. It's rivaled only by KisshuxIchigo and PuddingxTaruto. Which, by the way, this is a RxL, but I just can't help myself – there's hints of KxI and PxT in there too. Hopeless shippers unite! xD
Disclaimer: I own nothing but an adorable kitty named Bit, and he has no rights to Tokyo Mew Mew whatsoever. If he did, I'm sure I could've trained him to pair Lettuce and Ryou up. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury, so we're stuck with fanfic over here.
ISHIPRYOUSHIROGANEANDLETTUCEMIDORIKAWAFOREVER
Simply put, Lettuce Midorikawa had a rather uneventful social life. Between studying for exams and saving the world, she didn't have much free time (or many friends besides her fellow mews). That was why, when Ichigo declared that the Mew girls were having a slumber party at the café, she was willing to attend.
That was why, on Friday evening after hours, Lettuce found herself standing outside Café Mew Mew with a small bag of clothes and a sleeping bag.
She wasn't sure if knocking was necessary, but she didn't really want to risk it. Luckily Ichigo saw her outside and opened the door for her, or she might have spent the night on the doorstep.
"Hi, Lettuce!" the pink mew exclaimed. "Zakuro couldn't make it, but Mint, Pudding, and I are here, so the fun can begin!"
"Ichigo-san, what do I do with my stuff?" Lettuce asked timidly, shrinking slightly when exposed to the excitement that is Ichigo Momomiya.
Ichigo dragged her over to an empty back room. Or rather, a once-empty back room. Now there was a TV and DVD-rom on the east wall (courtesy of Keiichiro), as well as three sets of a sleeping bag, pillow, and bag of clothes. Lettuce dropped hers along the north wall, beside Ichigo's.
Mint and Pudding, who had earlier been engrossed by a YouTube video playing on Mint's cell phone, now realized that the green mew was there. "Lettuce onee-chan!" Pudding wasted no time in running over to her and giving her a very fierce hug.
"Hello, Pudding," Lettuce greeted her while trying not to lose consciousness. Eventually the young girl let go, and Lettuce was able to breathe normally again.
"Um, I haven't eaten dinner yet," Lettuce mentioned guiltily. "Is there any food I could snack on quickly?"
"'Is there any food?'" a smiling Keiichiro repeated from the doorway. "But of course. In fact, I prepared dinner, if anyone's interested." His smile widened when all the girls jumped at the offer. Either none of them had had dinner, or Keiichiro's cooking was too good to pass up; either was possible, in all honesty. At any rate, he patiently held the door open as the four hungry girls filed out of the room.
As they headed for the kitchen, Lettuce found herself looking up and down the hall for . . . um, no one, she told herself. But as if he had heard her thoughts, Keiichiro explained to them all that Ryou would be joining them momentarily. "He just had something to finish up in his room."
Pudding happened to notice the slight relaxation in Lettuce's demeanor at this. "Hey! Lettuce onee-chan!" she stage-whispered to the green-haired mew. "Pudding wants to know why Lettuce onee-chan wants Shirogane onii-chan to be at dinner!"
Lettuce flushed. "Pudding! That's – I didn't say anything like that." Goodness. What now?
Pudding, however, was in full Detective Mode. "Pudding knows everything," she mused. "Pudding knows that Lettuce onee-chan looks at Shirogane onii-chan like Kisshu looks at Ichigo onee-chan, except less creepy." That seemed to click for the girl. "Lettuce onee-chan loves Shirogane onii-chan, na no da!" she crowed.
Lettuce covered her face with her hands. "Pudding!" Luckily no one else was left in the hallway except Keiichiro, and he didn't seem to have heard. Lettuce willed her blush to disappear as she and Pudding entered the kitchen. At any rate, a number of tempting entrees were set out, plus several side dishes and a plate of brownies. Keiichiro just couldn't stop himself once he got going in the kitchen. Lettuce and Pudding were quick to join the food line.
By the time the four girls had loaded up their plates and sat down at the table Keiichiro had set up, Ryou had only just come in. He filled a plate just as quickly as the rest had, and he sat down in the only available seat – the one right next to Lettuce.
Ichigo, Mint, and Pudding talked (loudly) their way through dinner, but Lettuce couldn't bring herself to join in. She kept quiet, casting the occasional glance at her blue-eyed neighbor. And then another glance, just to make sure that he hadn't seen her looking the first time and if he had, that he didn't think she was crazy or a stalker or anything. Of course, with all this "occasional" glancing going on, one can imagine that they made eye contact fairly often. Lettuce finished her food quickly, put her dishes in the dishwasher, thanked Keiichiro for the meal, and fled to the safety of the room. As one by one her teammates joined her, Keiichiro and Ryou were eventually the only ones left in the kitchen. Ryou put away his dishes and started to leave, but Keiichiro called for him to wait.
"Ryou," he started, "I know you asked me not to bring it up, but—"
As soon as the words were out of the man's mouth, Ryou froze. "Look—" he started.
"—but I might have happened upon a conversation that may be of benefit to you." That stopped Ryou's protesting at once. Keiichiro was always seen as an innocent bystander, often quickly dismissed or ignored, and he heard many a conversation not intended for his ears. However, he made a point of never discussing what he heard. This time, though, he had the feeling that Ryou needed to hear it if anything were to come of his obvious fondness for Lettuce.
Ryou gave the man a look. "And?"
Keiichiro shrugged, giving his best impression of innocence. "Nothing much, but it's possible that Lettuce-san returns your feelings." He cast a side glance toward Ryou to see his reaction.
Or lack thereof. The teenager had obviously had much experience masking his true emotions. He said nothing, and his face gave nothing away.
Though slightly disappointed, Keiichiro nodded to show he had nothing else to say for the moment. Ryou turned on his heel and made a quick escape to his room. It's up to him now, Keiichiro thought, giving the mental equivalent of a shrug. He started the dishwasher and left the kitchen.
Meanwhile, back in the room housing the Mews . . .
"What are we doing now, Ichigo onee-chan?" Pudding asked.
The cat-girl waved a frenzied hand in the air, having just come up with an idea herself. "Let's play Truth or Dare!" She gestured for everyone to gather into a circle. "I'll start with Mint. Mint, truth or dare?"
Examining her fingernails, Mint barely glanced up. "Dare."
"Okay. I dare you to . . ." She thought for a second. ". . . turn on the radio and sing along with the first song you hear!" Mint, who had shot Ichigo (who knew she didn't karaoke) a glare, pushed a button on the radio. Some overrated pop song came on, and after two minutes of pain for both the performer and the audience, she was done.
"All right. Your turn, Mint." Ichigo was grinning; she had gotten her turn's worth.
Mint turned a scheming eye toward Lettuce, who was feeling less and less willing to play. "Truth . . . or dare?" Mint asked dramatically.
Lettuce was infinitely scared to do anything silly publicly, so she blurted out, "Truth!" before realizing exactly what that entailed.
Mint paused, apparently thinking of something really dangerous. "Lettuce . . . do you love anyone?"
Lettuce could feel her cheeks flaming. "N-no!" she stammered. She had never been good at fibbing – as she now remembered.
"Liar!" Mint declared. "You have to tell the truth!"
Pudding, eager to "help" Lettuce, proclaimed, "Lettuce onee-chan is in love with Shirogane onii-chan, na no da!"
Lettuce, too late, clamped her hand over the yellow mew's mouth. "Pudding!" she squeaked nervously.
"Is it true?" Ichigo was practically bouncing.
"Yes! They're madly in love!" Pudding managed to say.
"No! No, it's not true. I do not!" The interesting shade of red Lettuce was turning, however, suggested otherwise. Ichigo and Mint, united for once, exchanged a why-does-she-bother-denying-it look. Lettuce covered her red cheeks with her hands. "Can we move on now?" she asked timidly. The three other girls nodded. "Pudding . . . truth or dare?"
"Dare!" Pudding was so excited. She knew a dare would be easy.
"Uh . . . I dare you to ride around the room ten times on a big blow-up ball." Lettuce didn't want to make it too hard, and she remembered Ichigo saying that the young girl had done something like that to get cat ears. True to her memory, Pudding was back quickly.
"Ichigo onee-chan," she asked in her detective voice, "truth or dare?"
"Um . . . truth."
"Are you and Kisshu madly in love, like he always says?" Pudding demanded.
Ichigo began to stammer. "N-no, of course not, Pudding. I'm with A-Aoyama-kun." But she had a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.
Before the other girls could engage in another truthfulness battle, Lettuce broke in. "Um, does anyone want to watch a movie?" She was referring to any of the three DVDs piled up on top of the television.
Pudding was all for it. "Yeah!" she squealed. Mint nodded, feigning disinterest, and Ichigo flashed Lettuce a grateful smile.
The pink Mew, as usual, took the lead. "Mint, pick a movie and put it into the player. Pudding, you wanna help Mint?"
Lettuce, feeling very awkward doing nothing, volunteered herself. "Do you want me to go make popcorn?" she asked Ichigo.
"Sure, Lettuce, thanks!" Ichigo replied distractedly.
Lettuce slipped out of the room and headed for the kitchen, where she began looking for . . . well . . . something to do with popcorn. Her family didn't often make popcorn, and when they did, it was the microwave variety; however, she assumed that Keiichiro, loving to cook, would have some sort of appliance to make it himself.
Eventually Lettuce was able to find an air popper in one of the back cabinets. She placed it on the counter . . . and stared at it blankly. She had no idea what to do with the thing.
"Did you put the seeds in it?" A voice from behind made her jump. Lettuce whirled around to face Ryou Shirogane himself. A mental reminder of her earlier semi-truth turned her cheeks pink.
"Um . . . no, Shirogane-san. I don't know how to use it," she admitted. At this, Ryou left his place leaning against the wall and walked over beside her. He reached up to open a certain cabinet, from which he pulled out a bag of popcorn seeds and a large bowl.
"You can go back, if you want. I can make it." He busied himself preparing the popper.
Lettuce shook her head. "We're going to need two bowls, anyway, so if I watch you making the first, I can do the second."
Ryou gave her a half-smile. "Just don't tell them I made it. They won't let me hear the end of it." Lettuce nodded, blushing furiously. He didn't seem to notice – just slid the cord into the plug and waiting for the popping to start. "I'm going to tip the popper back when the kernels are popping. It'll keep more of the seeds from coming out too soon," he explained. "If you get the kernels that miss the bowl, that'd be helpful." Lettuce nodded again.
After a minute or two, the kernels were heated enough to begin popping. True to his word, Ryou tipped the small machine slightly backward, and Lettuce waited for something to misfire. Within the next minute, the popcorn was ready for seasoning. Like Ryou had said, there were hardly any un-popped seeds. Lettuce got out the butter and salt for Ryou to use. He had the entire bowl done in barely any time. Much to Lettuce's confusion, though, he didn't give it to her to take to the mews. Instead he began pouring some of it into a small bowl.
"Um, Shirogane-san?" she asked timidly. "What are you doing?"
Ryou didn't answer her at first. He had taken out the sugar from yet another cabinet and had begun sprinkling it over the contents of the small bowl. "I like popcorn too," he told her, a light, teasing note in his voice. "But I like sugar on it. It's a guilty pleasure of mine."
Lettuce tilted her head. "Sugar?" she inquired. "On your popcorn?" It sounded like overkill to her.
"Yep," Ryou said decidedly. "It's good."
The look on Lettuce's face declared the opposite.
"Here," he offered, holding out a few pieces. "Try it."
Lettuce shook her head. "Thank you, but having butter and salt is already an indulgence," she insisted.
Ryou didn't take back his open hand. "Lettuce," he said sincerely, "you try too hard to be perfect all the time. You should do something just for the sake of it. Live a little."
She blushed, of course. But at his words, she acted on impulse and accepted the sugared popcorn. She popped it into her mouth . . . chewed . . . swallowed. She paused thoughtfully for a second, then admitted, "It's really good, actually!"
Ryou gave her another half-smile. "You know," he said gently, inching closer almost imperceptibly, "I hate to say I told you so – well, not to Ichigo – but really, if you step outside your comfort zone, sometimes there's benefits you hadn't seen before." By that time he was right next to her. She moved to take a polite step back, only to find her way blocked by the wall.
And then, without warning, Ryou pressed his lips to hers.
It took a second for his action to register, but as soon as it had, she found that her arms were looped around his neck and she was kissing him back.
This would probably have continued longer if it weren't for Pudding's unmistakable voice.
"Lettuce onee-chan, is the popcorn d– wow!"
Ryou and Lettuce broke apart at that, the latter beginning to rival a tomato and even the former reddening slightly.
Pudding grinned, delighted to have been correct. "Pudding knew it! Pudding said – "
Lettuce ran to silence the young girl. "Pudding! No, no, no, I know what you said. But, um, Shirogane-san was just . . . sharing his popcorn with me."
Pudding's eyes lit up. "Shirogane onii-chan was giving you popcorn?" she asked (once Lettuce had released her).
Lettuce cast a nervous glance at Ryou, who shrugged, falling into an echo of his usual Sullen Teenager Mode. "Um . . . sure," Lettuce told the yellow Mew. "Just giving me popcorn."
Pudding nodded, understanding (sort of). "So, you can kiss someone to share food? Like candy?"
Lettuce shook her head no. "No! It's, um, not really conventional . . . just don't do it." She realized something, and quickly added, "And only with boys. In case you do try it. But don't." She had the feeling she wasn't helping the matter.
Finally deciding to step in, Ryou handed Pudding the big popcorn bowl. "Here, take this to the others. We'll be done with the second one soon."
As the hyperactive little girl ran for the room, Lettuce let out a sigh. "Thank you, Shirogane-san." He shrugged, passing it off as nothing, and pulled her in for another kiss.
As you can imagine, the talking pretty much ended there.
WATCHMYTOKYOMEWMEWSHIPPINGCRAZES
A/N: Ugh . . . I must have rewritten the ending three times before reached something acceptable. And – xD – I bet you thought in book 7 that Pudding got her candy-kiss idea on her own? Wrong. *dies laughing* Well, I hope that was flufftastic enough for all of you! Oh, and just so y'all know, I used the "in love" phrasing because that's how the characters refer to it. I personally prefer to be slower when applying the L-word. :-) Anyways, R&R! I don't know if it was an epic fail unless you tell me. Or if it was halfway decent. It all depends on you, O reader. (Just don't unleash your wrath on me. This is, after all, my first TMM ficlet. I know the OOC-ness needs fixing. I'm considering re-rewriting the ending anyways.)