Disclaimer: "Dexter's Laboratory" and characters from the series belong to Genndy Tartakovsky.

Love Me Love Me Not

Sitting underneath a tree in his front yard, Dexter was occupying himself with a book. In the past the boy would always be locked up in his secret laboratory; creating and experimenting. However, as he grew older, he realized that doing that was not really good for his health and so he learned to take breaks from time to time.

While being immersed in his reading, something caught his attention from a few houses over. That something not being a something but actually a someone and that someone being Mandark. Dexter watched him as he strolled down the paved walkway of his house and over to the mailbox to retrieve the mail.

Dee Dee seemingly appeared from thin air while her little brother was still fixated on Mandark. She glanced from the red head over to the brunette and back to the red head. She continued glancing at them in turn until Mandark entered back inside of his house and Dexter returned his eyes to the pages of his book.

"Hm, so what was that about?" she asked Dexter after plopping down next to him.

"I do not know what you mean," he replied and turned a page.

"Yeah, suuuuuure you don't," she teased.

"I honestly don't."

"Puhleaze, you were staring at your boyfriend," she said with a flick of a hand at Dexter.

"Mandark is not my boyfriend, Dee Dee," Dexter grumbled.

His sister smiled a big goofy grin and continued with the teasing. "Oooooh, so you were staring at Mandark, huh?"

Dexter answered her with silence.

However, she continued. "Hm, so does he like you?"

Dexter lowered his book a few inches and glared daggers at his sister and then returned to his reading.

Dee Dee was not perturbed by her brother and resumed interrogating him. "Well, if you're too scared to ask him then you should ask the flowers," she suggested brightly.

That suggestion caused some curiosity to stir within Dexter's mind. He closed his book in a testy manner and placed it down next to him on the ground. After that he gave Dee Dee his full and undivided attention.

"Ask the flowers?" he asked incredulously with a raised brow and folded arms.

Dee Dee nodded her head. "That's right, the flowers," she answered and plucked a flower from the ground and held it towards Dexter.

She began plucking the petals off from the flower's head while saying "he loves me, he loves me not" repeatedly.

Dexter was half expecting something phenomenal from this but after he realized that Dee Dee was just being completely silly, he slapped the flower away from his face.

"Would you stop that, woman? A stupid flower cannot tell you if someone likes you or if they do not!" he shouted with rage.

An expression of hurt crossed Dee Dee's face for a second but then it was replaced with anger. "Fine then, I know when I am not needed!" she shouted and marched off haughtily.

"Bah! If only you could know that whenever you decide to annoy me!" Dexter replied loud enough for his departing sister to hear.

When he was left alone, Dexter picked up his book and returned to his reading. After awhile though, what Dee Dee had told him started buzzing around madly in his mind. He sighed heavily and stole a glance at a flower.

"Stupid Dee Dee and her stupid flowers," he grumbled but plucked a flower from the ground anyways out of curiosity.

He copied Dee Dee and the last petal was a "he loves me". Dexter furrowed his brow and stared at the petal, trying to understand how it possibly knew that Mandark loved him.

"Science is the solution!" he exclaimed and dashed inside of his house, petal in hand.

Once inside his laboratory, Dexter demanded that Computer analyze the flower petal. He placed it on a scanner and waited impatiently for the results, which came quickly.

"Analyzing complete, Dexter," Computer announced.

"Computer, are you sure that's everything?" he asked her while his eyes read the various details about the flower petal on his computer screen.

"Yes, Dexter. That is everything on the flower petal."

Dexter rocked back and forth in his chair, pondering deeply. He shook his head after a moment, feeling really embarrassed with himself. "Of course…I cannot believe I let Dee Dee's stupid flower game get under my skin like that," he chided himself.

Soon after that, his mother told him to take the dog out for a walk. He decided to take the dog for a walk at the nearby park. After about thirty minutes, both dog and Dexter were exhausted and so they took a rest. Dexter situated himself on a bench and his dog lied down next to it, his leash in Dexter's possession.

His mind still stuck on Dee Dee's flower game, Dexter scooted off of the bench a few inches to reach down to the ground and pluck a flower from it. Once again, he plucked at the petals of the head but was not able to pluck the last one because he saw Mandark approach him from the corner of an eye.

"Ah, lucky that I ran into you here, Dexter. My parents want me to join them in some stupid meditation session but I do not think they will pester me about it if I tell them that I want to enjoy the company of a friend while at the park instead of doing something lame like that so I hope you do not mind if I do just that," Mandark explained and sat next to Dexter on the bench.

"Yeah, that's fine. I do not mind," Dexter replied with a slight nervous tremble in his voice and even if he did mind, he knew Mandark would not care.

Mandark looked over to his parents, glad that they did not seem to notice him missing from their side. He returned his gaze over to Dexter and noticed the flower in his gloved hand with just one petal adorning its head.

"Say, what you are doing with that?" he asked the other, pointing at the nearly petal-less flower.

Dexter had completely forgotten about the flower, too absorbed with being with Mandark. "Oh, nothing," he answered in a nonchalant voice and tossed the flower away with a pathetic throw. It landed a few inches away from Mandark and he picked it up.

"Hm," he simply mused and plucked the last petal for no real reason and chucked it away.

Both friends chatted away with each other. Dexter not even remembering what the last petal was supposed to signify and Mandark being completely unaware that Dexter had to resort to some flower game to know he if loved him. He thought it should be obvious because he actually wanted to enjoy Dexter's company just to enjoy it, not to get away from his parents. However, he felt too embarrassed to admit that.

END

Author's Note: Uh...yeah, this fan-fic is not related to "Only as Friends"...so yeah. xD

Well, they are related in the fact that the characters are much older, in high school for that matter. ^^

I just think it would be weird for me to keep them in elementary school.

Uh...yeah, that should be it. =)