*Slight adjustments to the world of Sisters Grimm: Puck and Sabrina are 16, Daphne and Red are 12. When I first wrote this, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing, and because it got such positive response, I edited it slightly, and so it returns once more for your viewing pleasure. Thank you all for such wonderful constructive criticism, and praise. :)
I awoke to the sound of obnoxious giggles and snickers, emanating from somewhere outside in the hallway. I quickly sprung out of bed, raced to the door, and threw it wide open. Daphne and Red stood crouched in the hallway, whispering to each other and biting excitedly on their palms. They appeared to be completely oblivious to my agitated self, and when they finally noticed me looking at them tiredly from the door frame, Daphne jumped about 3 feet into the air, clutching her chest, while Red calmly stood up. Nothing can scare that girl, I said mentally.
I raised an eyebrow, and Daphne scowled. She always wished she could do that, but she never learned. I shook my head at her childish pouting, and narrowed my eyes at the two.
"What's so funny?" I asked. They only squirmed and grinned, which made me even more curious.
"What are you two laughing at?" I asked again, leaning forward, slightly tense. They looked at each other, exchanged knowing glances, snickering even more! I hadn't a clue how two tiny girls could hold so much laughter. I slapped my hands over their mouths, and barked, "Stop giggling!"
Puck suddenly sauntered around the corner, and smirked sarcastically. I felt my heart do a pitiful flip flop, and my lips curled into a small cringe. "What's the matter Grimm? Can't handle fun?" He said sardonically, not looking at me. He gave Daphne and Red two thumbs up, to which I rolled my eyes at, and finally turned towards me. He looked surprised when he noticed my expression, one of which probably made me look constipated. "Grimm? Are you okay?" He asked, and I scowled.
"I'm fine," I muttered, and pushed past them. I walked down the stairs, and was half-way out the kitchen door when I paused to yell, "I'm going for a walk. Don't wait up!" I slammed it behind me, and wandered into the woods, which had been free of any evil everafters or wayward Scarlet Hand members for about a year now.
Oh, let me catch you up.
As I said previously, we defeated the Scarlet Hand about a year ago in an, and I quote Puck here, "A battle whose epicness only just compares to mine, so… a pretty awesome one." Daphne dubbed the fight, "Pucktastic."
And then there's Puck.
I've been in love with that arrogant prat for about three years now, since we were in middle school. I tried to hate him, I really did, but I just couldn't. It seemed the more I tried to dislike him, the deeper I fell. Of course, I still wish he would grow up, not be so self-absorbed and conceited, and I can hold a temper against him, but I just can't seem to regain the feelings of despise I used to feel for him. Woe is me, I know.
By the time I remembered what I was doing, it was right in front of me. The fort, or "tree house," as Daphne insisted on calling it, (She said it sounded more girly, and better suited to us. Sometimes, I really don't understand that child.) my dad and Uncle Jake had built all those years ago stood looming on a few sturdy trees. I wandered around it, scuffing my black converse on the ground as I went, in a lazy attempt to find the ladder. When it was revealed from behind a few overgrown branches, I tossed them aside, pulling myself up into the little hut. I yanked out my iPod from my pocket, leaning against the rough wood of the wall. I was just about to plug in my headphones when a blonde head poked itself up from the entrance.
I whipped my head around and let out a screech, not realizing who it was until I heard them shouting angrily.
"Shut UP Grimm, you're killing my ears!" Puck cried incredulously.
"Challenge accepted, and completed." I muttered sarcastically.
"Hey, I am not deaf. I just choose to not listen to certain people's voices at certain, specific times." He gave me a pointed look.
"Whatever, stinkpot."
"That's the best you've got? We used that when we were what, twelve?" He added an eye roll to this remark.
"Yeah, and I'm bringing it back. Now, go away," I jumped out of the tree house, leaping right over his head and landing firmly on the ground, trying to get him to leave me be. This, of course, didn't work, and he blocked my path.
"No."
Like I said, he can be really annoying sometimes.
"Yes! I just want to be alone."
He scowled at me. "Grimm, quit your sulking and tell me what your problem is!"
This ignited my temper. "Oh, what my problem is? Really? I haven't heard you mention yours, and don't you dare say you don't have one, you obviously do."
"Shut it, Grimm."
"Make me, asshole!"
That set him off. His eyes flashed, and suddenly I was being pinned against the tree, my head throbbing where it was whacked against the stale bark.
"You're my problem, Grimm." He said, his eyes darkening dangerously.
"What? How am I you're problem?" My own baby blues were wide, and mouth slightly open. I hadn't seen Puck lash out like this before.
He laughed harshly. "Of course you don't even know."
"If you're implying I'm stupid, I swear to God…" I trailed off, seeing him hanging his head.
"I'm not calling you stupid, Grimm." He said softly, raising his head. "In fact, you're probably the exact opposite of that. You're smart, beautiful, and kind. You practically raised Marshmallow, and you deserve the best."
I felt my lips part in surprise. Puck was saying this? The same Puck who had glued a basketball to my head last year?
"But unfortunately," He continued, eyes sad and still dark. "This is the best I can give you."
Suddenly, he was kissing me. My eyes flew wide open in shock, and I felt my body go rigid stiff. I could hardly breathe, let alone kiss him back, even though I wanted to so desperately. Unfortunately, he took this the wrong way, and pulled away from me, taking a step back.
"I figured that was how you felt." He said monotonously, shrugging, and was about to walk away when I finally snapped back to my senses.
"Puck," I practically shouted. He turned around, and I ran towards him. I reached him, and threw my arms around his neck, catching him off guard and tackling him to the ground. He fell, with me still clutching him.
"Grimm?" He asked cautiously, but I shook my head, feeling mute, and answered him finally with a kiss, this time instigated by me. I felt a wave of longing wash over me. All the feelings I had been holding back for years finally freed themselves, and I felt tears leak out of my eyes. I felt them slip onto my lips, making our kiss taste salty-sweet. Puck pulled away.
"Sabrina? Are you crying?" He asked, shocked.
I laughed through my tears. "No, my eyes are just leaking. Don't turn me soft, jerkface." I rubbed my eyes aggressively; I hated crying in front of people. I paused for a moment, something registering within me. "Did you just call me Sabrina?"
"Y-yeah, I guess I did…" He said uncertainly. He gave me his signature sideways smile, and chuckled. He gently wiped away my tears with the pad of his thumb. I gave him another yet another watery smile, still not feeling completely tear-free, much to my disappointment.
"Look at us! One – well, technically two, kisses and we're already turning to mush!"
"It's pathetic." He added, half rolling his eyes.
We both laughed quietly, or rather, we did, until there was a loud snapping noise nearby. Puck slid an arm around my waist protectively, and called out, "Who's there?"
I smiled, bemused. "I think I know exactly who it is," I whispered, putting my finger to my lips. I signaled him to follow me, and tip-toed over to where the snapping sound came from. I heard small whispers and giggling, which proved my suspicion correct. I looked up to Puck, and he nodded his head. I counted on my fingers, "1, 2, 3…"
On 3, we leaned over the bush, and shouted, "BOO!"
Daphne and, surprisingly, Red too, jumped about 6 feet in the air, Daphne screaming bloody murder. I covered my ears, and cringed.
"Daph, cut it out!" I shouted over her frantic screeching. She finally quieted down, but still clutched her heart dramatically, breathing shallowly.
"YOU SCARED US!" She yelled incredulously.
"No, really," I said sarcastically, "Now, why exactly were you spying on us?
"Spying? Who said anything about spying? Psh, we weren't even watching you guys, we just uh, we just happened to be behind this bush…two feet away from you…it's a total coincidence!" Daphne shrilled nervously. Puck withdrew his arm from my waist, and I placed a hand on my hip.
"Daphne…" I warned in a low tone.
"Okay fine," She said, her defense crumbling. "We set you guys up."
Puck and I looked at each other, confused. "There are two meanings to that phrase. You either set this up as a prank, or set us up as a… well, as a couple, I guess. I'm seriously hoping for your sake that it's the latter." I said.
"In like, a relationship, don't worry!" She assured us.
"Uhm…how?" Puck asked.
"Well, I know Sabrina's liked you since like, the eighth grade, and Puck, it was obvious you fell for Sabrina the nanosecond you saw her," By this point, Puck and I were both blushing like mad, and sputtering incoherently. "So anyway, we knew that you guys had huge crushes on each other, and we finally got fed up with it, so when Brina ran outside pissed, we figured, NOW! So we annoyed the heck out of Puck to go after you, and he finally did! And so the dominoes fell, and BAM! You guys were all like, "OMG I LOVE YOU! OMG I WANNA MARRY YOU! OMG YAY!"
Puck was totally shell-shocked, and my face probably looked like Red's hood.
"Um…" I said, not sure how to start. "Okay, first of all, I'm pretty sure neither of us uttered the word, "OMG." Second, I have no clue how you said that all in one breathe, and third, I barely understood that. All I could comprehend was "LOVE!" "CRUSHES!" "BAM!" and something about dominoes…?"
Daphne let out a shrill laugh, and Red chuckled. "OMG! LOOK! FIREFLIES!" Daphne yelled, and charged back towards the house with Red, where little lightning bugs were filling up the sky.
"That was random…" Puck said.
"Yeah, that's Daphne for you. Do you want to go after them?"
We looked towards each other, nodded, and raced towards the general direction they headed in. Since I was on the track team, and Puck was the quarterback on the football team (yes, I know what you're thinking, but he was surprisingly good), I was better at long distances, so I beat him to the house.
"Ha! In your face, jerk," I said mockingly.
"Not fair, stinkpot."
I crossed my arms. "Name one thing about that race that wasn't fair."
He scrambled to find his words, opening and closing his mouth. "HA!" I yelled again, doing some sort of victory lap, waving my arms like a maniac. Puck watched me, his eyes narrowed, grumbling under his breath. After a few minutes of my bragging, he finally got fed up of my taunting, and chased after me.
"You'll never take me alive!" I yelled over my shoulder, running around the yard with Puck right on my tail.
"Watch me," He screamed. He caught up to me, threw an arm around my waist, and rolled to the ground, pulling me over along with him. I screeched, and landed flat on my back in the grass, Puck's arm draped over my shoulder. I laughed, and snuggled up to him. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
"Puck?"
"Yeah?" He said, leaning his face towards mine.
"Are we like…a couple now?"
"Uhm, I don't know…Do you want to be?"
"I don't know…Do you?"
"I asked you first."
"Well I asked you second."
When I said that, he gave me a strange look. "What kind of a response was that?"
I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally. He rolled his eyes, laughing softly. After his chuckles slowed to a stop, we sat in a comfortable silence, watching the lightning bugs fly above us.
"Yes." I finally whispered.
"Yes what?" Puck asked, already forgetting our conversation. Realization hit him, and he grinned. "You do?"
"I guess…" I blushed, biting my bottom lip.
"Well okay then girlfriend," Puck said, teasing me.
"Alright boyfriend," I said, mocking him right back. He chuckled, and captured my lips in a soft kiss. Suddenly, Daphne and Red leaned around the corner of the house.
"Yes!" They both yelled, making me and Puck jump. "Success again," Daphne added.
"Again? Really?" Puck said, looking frustrated.
"Woo!" Daphne yelled, sticking her tongue out, something I had told her not to do to me thousands of times.
"Oh it's on!" I yelled. Puck and I jumped up, and chased them around the yard amidst the fireflies, until it was too dark, and we all headed in for some gasp, normal food, and to listen to Daphne tell the story of Puck and I, and our somewhat crazy, somewhat peculiar, but all together true feelings.
I can honestly say this wasn't my best, but so many enjoyed the previous version I put up, so here it is once more. Thank you for reading!
~julygem