Just staring

Declaimer: I do not own The grim adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Billy stared at Mandy, very intensely. Only when a few minutes passed did Mandy stood up and left the house. And Billy watched her leave.

The Grim Reaper was sitting mindlessly on the sofa, which had currently held three people as he glanced at the television carelessly showing a TV program about something neither of the reminding two were aware of. When Grim was conscious that someone left, he turned and he gazed at the empty space for just a minute then turned back. Then he turned again not sure if what he saw was accurate then turned back, and then turned again.

"Boy?" he started.

"Hmm?" Billy was still watching the closed door, carefully.

"Where's da gurl?" he asked not very surprised.

"I don't know."

"Did she left?" he tried again.

"I don't know."

"Hmmm? I bet you stared ha away," said the Grim Reaper remembering previous dates, "you have done it very often." He started to chuckle. "It would scare me, too."

Billy seemed not to care or not to listen, either way it was annoying and Grim sighed. "Why you do dat, boy? She's not dat great."

It was the first time Billy addressed Grim and he looked embarrassed. Grim squinted his eyes, suspiciously. "Whut is it, boy?"

"Nothin'" Billy simply said.

"O'kay but dunnot come to me when you want help. Cuz I won't give it to you." Grim tempted as he crossed his arms. "You know you'll need it. For whatever disaster is gonna happen soon."

"Mandy's pretty, huh?" Billy blurted out, turning red.

There was a moment of silence, Grim blinking his empty sockets, Billy turning redder, and then laughing, hysterically, uncontrollably. "Whut?" more laughs.

"Wh-what?" Billy was growing defensive.

"I know your teenage boy now 'n everything, but, Mandy?" Grim tried to control himself. "You could do much better, boy."

"But-"

"I suggest you do better." Grim interrupted but when Billy didn't say a word, he turned serious. "Are you kiddin' me? I didn' understand you then, and, heck, I don' understand you now."

"Because you're a bone head." Billy huffed.

"Look who's talking, bone head." Grim mumbled. "She's not even dat special."

Billy scrambled out of the sofa without replying, visibly mad.

"Come on, Billy? Don't be like that!" Grim shouted once he realized the boy was angry, but did nothing more as he slumped in his seat.

It was like the day before but instead of Billy, Mandy was sitting on the sofa with the Grim Reaper.

"Where's Billy?" Mandy asked her tone not caring. "I want him to get me some juice."

"Dunno, man," he replied, not even bothering to shrug. "I haven't seen him since yesterday." He didn't go into details, it'd be too awkward and he didn't want to be that close to Mandy as to sharing a mutual awkward moment.

"Don't tell me we have to throw another search party, again?" her voice was irritated, and he couldn't blame her. Last time it took six months to find Billy and all that time he was hiding in his closet.

"Why do you care?" Grim asked, minding for the first time to his curiosity. "Why even bother looking for him?"

"Because he's my servant." Mandy answered quickly. "And no one's apt for the job."

If Grim had a glass of wine he would have raised it. "No one's up for it. You got a point."

"Whatever." She mumbled, then with the same not caring tone addressed Grim, "If Billy isn't here to give me juice then you bring me juice."

When Grim returned and gave Mandy her juice, he sat down and sighed, and like that something made him ask the unbelievable. "Mandy, do you think Billy's… pretty?"

Mandy turned to him and the look on her face was of concern and that was more unbelievable than what he had done before. She knew he was mad. Oh, boy. "Grim, I fear for your health but since your death, I fear for your sanity but since you're the Grim Reaper I can't say I care so much, truth be told. But, whoa. Though if you must know… No, he's hideous."

There was a cry somewhere in the house and Mandy shrugged it off easy but Grim knew it was Billy.

"Guess we don't need that search party, after all," Mandy said, satisfied.

After half an hour Mandy left and when Billy heard the door close he came rushing in. His face was red, Grim couldn't decide if he was embarrassed or was crying all that time (which would indicate his tears splattered on his face.) But then again Grim didn't actually know, and he didn't actually care.

"Did she really says I was hideous?" Billy whispered as he sat on his usual place in the rusty blue sofa.

"Like a monkey's butt," assured Grim, trying to make him understand by the sensible word 'monkey' had on Billy.

"But monkey butts are cute?"

"No, Billy."

"Why would she think that?" he melted in defeat.

"Why do ya think, boy?" Grim exclaimed. "You even smell like a monkey."

Billy shrunk in his seat. "What can I do, Grim?"

"Are you seriously asking me advice?"

"You says you're a Lady's Man, all the time." Billy argued.

"Yeah, well, ya not even a man. Heck, not even a boy." Grim started to stand up. "And it'd be a waste of time that I rather be wastin' somewhere else."

"Pleaseeeeeee." Billy started to beg as he kneeled on the sofa cushions.

"Why?" Grim just needed one purpose, just one to take to consideration, so he could at least make his mind up. "All you have is to lose."

"Isn't 'what do you have to lose,'?"

Yeah, I know dat," Grim confirmed as he walked away. He didn't need a reason for that and he didn't need a reason for anything.

"Please, Grim," Billy pleaded after him, "my chest hurts."

"What?" Grim stopped. "Billy it's called a heart attack and it's cuz you eat everythin' off the floor. I can't say I'm not happy to see you like that, but you deserve it."

"I'm seriaus," Billy said more reassured.

"How am I supposed to take you serious when you can't even pronounce da word serious?"

This time Billy screamed, "Says the one with the Jamaican accent! Bone head."

Grim gaped. "Even if I help you you'll always end up screwin' with it, how do I know you won't?"

"Because I won't."

Grim sighed, not sure why he even bothered.

Mandy sat on the blue couch, wondering why everything bad happened there, then thinking why anything bad hasn't happened yet.

Then Billy came in, "Hey, Mandy."

She was too distracted, thinking why she was even there to begin with, when she saw it. Billy was dressed in a suit, his red hair combed back, with no hat. His back was straight instead of its usual hunch and one hand was in his pocket, lying carelessly styled there while the other held a single red rose to his chest.

"Hello, Mandy." Billy pronounced without any error or extra s's, and for the first time, not like a complete idiot.

"Billy…?" she wasn't so sure if it was really him.

"How are you, my dear?"

"For the first time in my life I can seriously say that you completely lost your mind." Mandy remarked astonished.

"Seriously." Billy repeated the word proud that he did it with no second doubt or mistake. "Or you can say that I completely found my reason."

"I don't see it, hmm, no," Mandy replied icy cold.

"Will, you see it on a date this afternoon," he extended the rose.

Mandy didn't took it, "What do you want idiot?"

"I only wish for your company this afternoon."

"No. What's the catch? There's usually a catch. What do you want?"

"No, don't worry. I'll pay."

"It's not about money, dweeb." Mandy sighed once she realized there was no way for him to understand. "No. I won't go."

"Why?!" Billy's eyes grew and his nose was turning scarlet red, just like his face.

"Because you're repulsive, annoying and horribly hideous." Then she turned to the television and click to another channel.

His eyes filled like a water bottle and then they started too overboard. He wept low as if trying not to and then the real Billy broke from what seemed to be a spell, which Mandy could guess was all Grim's idea.

"But- but I loves you Mandy!" he stood there waiting.

Mandy just didn't know what to say.

"And it hurts…" Billy added once he found control over himself. He was gripping his chest as the rose in his hand crumpled under it. "In here. It hurts to look at you. But I do."

"Billy as much as I like that you're suffering by my cost-"

"But I do." Billy interrupted. "Because I loves you. Cuz I know that if I don't then it would hurt more. But you're too much of a meanie!"

He took off running, leaving the unspoken never said and Mandy just blinked in shock. And here she always thought he was only staring. Just staring. She was wrong. Way wrong.

It was night when Billy came in and he was very afraid his parents were worried about him, that they had thrown another search party for him. But as much as he wanted to play hide and seek, he couldn't. Not when he could hardly breathe from the pain. He had to lie down in…? you guessed it, the sofa.
Grim was there, pretending he was watching TV but wasn't actually.

"How did it went, boy?" he asked, though his voice was disinterested. "Did she kiss you?"

Billy started to moan again.

"It didn't went good." Grim answered himself. "But I told ya ma scythe isn't good with teenage angst romance."

"But you're a Lady's Man."

"I told ya, I am a Lady's Man, but not that Lady's like ma type of man."

"What's the difference?"

"Oh, boy, you have so much to learn."

Someone cleared there throat in front of them.

When they turned they were equally shocked. It was Mandy and she was wearing a dress. Apocalyptical. Though they didn't have a chance to react.

"I'm ready for my date," she sighed discouraged.

"Butbutbutbut," Billy gagged, followed by Grim.

"If you're gonna be like that then I will just go and do no charity work or whatever." Mandy started to turned, leaving.

"NO!" Billy exclaimed, taking her hand and guiding her to the door.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped her hand away but it couldn't stop Billy giving Grim a thumps up.

When they were out the door and while Billy fixed his suit (mourning can me so distraughtly) he couldn't help ask but ask, "Why did you came back?"

"I told you," she started to get irritated, "charity work…. or whatever."

Billy's eyebrow arched as he started knotting his tie. "Tell me the truth."

Mandy sighed more irritated as she slapped Billy's hand away, tying the tie herself. "Even though animal cruelty fascinates me and I encourage it myself. I just couldn't let this go by."

Billy smiled not only because Mandy just confess something unconfessable but because the tie looked pretty good. "It's nice to know."

He laced his fingers with hers and this time she didn't recoil as they started walking down the sidewalk. He picked as his tie again after they made a good distance to the pizza place down the street. "How did you learn to make this?"

"You know," Mandy said, her voice monotone, "charity work or whatever."

The end

A/N: please review!