Vanilla Lip-Gloss

Here's to a successful dig! To the hard workers who toiled in the hot sun, uncovering the sacred water deep in the ground. To Milly, with her stun gun, and Meryl, with her…temper…and the rescue of my brother yaddy, yaddy, ya. Pay me no mind. Maybe I've had a few too many. Who am I kidding? Of course I've had too many! But I'm just so happy! For the first time in my entire life, I can rest easy! No more Gung Ho Guns, no more bounty hunters, no more running from my life! I'm not a Stampede anymore…I'm just me! I'm free!

"Jeez, take it easy, Mr. Vash!" says a worried voice next to me. It's the short one with hair the colour of midnight. She's looking at me with her wide, azure eyes. I guess I yelled that last part out loud. I smile goofily, honest to god happy. No facades. No fake smiles. This one is genuine. Her worried look melts away and she smiles back, offering me a drink. It's a cute one with one of those tiny umbrellas. How cute! Oh wait, just now, Meryl pulls out this little tube of lip-gloss goodness and applies some to her lips. Cute, cute, cute!

After taking tiny sips to prove to the short insurance girl I'm okay, I turn to see Milly standing on one of the tables, leading everyone in a classic Gunsmoke tune, which everyone cheers and applauds loudly. Yes, this is definitely the kind of people I want to be around in a good mood. They're so upbeat!

"I guess she's happy…" Meryl says thoughtfully, smiling at her friend's antics. I pout jokingly.

"Oh I see!" I whine with a hint of sarcasm and playfulness. "She's allowed to drink till she drops, but you resort to giving me feminine drinks, like Pina Coladas and Daiquiris. I'm hurt!"

"Well neither of you can hold your liquor, but at least I'm not concerned about her making a fool of herself. Besides, you usually do enough drinking for the three of us." For some reason, that makes me chuckle. I've never considered Milly to be a light drinker. She doesn't drink often, but when she does, she's anything but shy and…well, sensible.

Crash!

Uh-oh! Someone dropped something! Sounded sharp too. (I shouldn't be laughing, should I?)

"Milly!" the short one shouts before retreating. I merely chuckle, not having to say anything because my unspoken point was proven. At this moment, I think it would be best to get some fresh air, just to clear my head. I get up from my stool and walk slowly to the door, where the cool night air greets me.

After a few moments of silence and peace, the door creaks behind me and I turn to see a flustered, quite embarrassed, short insurance girl.

"Uh, she…broke a few mugs…" she stammers. I do my best to hide a grin. But Meryl doesn't need to see it to know I'm feeling quite smug at the moment. She shoots me a stern, but cute glare. "Alright, pal, I was wrong. Is that what you wanted to hear?" I shrug innocently.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look cute when you're mad?" Her stern glare doesn't last long.

"Wah…?" She shakes her head. Oh boy, that's another one of her brain cells fired. We quietly laugh as we walk slowly in to empty road. The sky is clear, the air is cool, and the setting is just perfect. Now if only I could work up the nerve to tell her…

"I…um…I'm glad you're back," she whispers. I glance at her briefly, then up at the sky.

"Yeah…me too," I reply, really meaning it. God, I'm happy to be back! And then I notice…we're walking in comfortable for the first time in a long time. This feels…nice, I guess.

"You know," Meryl suddenly interrupts the silence. "For the first time, you're actually on your best behaviour, surprisingly enough."

"So…" I begin slowly, awaiting the inevitable smack as my hand creeps around her shoulders. "Do I get a reward for being so good?" I hear her cough, trying to cover her giggle.

"As a matter of fact…" Without any warning, she turns and plants a cute, quick kiss on my lips, before winking at me and retreating back to the party.

I blink a few times, somewhat confused. Did she just steal my moves?

Huh…and she tastes like vanilla lip-gloss …very cute, indeed.

End