Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy the story that me and Tabby are working on. We don't own the Once-ler or any other Dr. Suess characters.
The breeze from the forest was crisp and cool, carrying the scent of butterfly milk on its silky tendrils. The sun was still high in the sky, but beginning to list toward it's bed, causing the beginnings of shadows to start to stretch out from the foot of the wall. Perched precariously on the edge was a tall wisp of a girl, her hair set swinging by the breeze. She was wrapped in something soft and pink and that was just long enough to cover her green shorts, but not long enough to protect her long legs from the breeze. She wrapped her arms around herself and glanced down nervously at her temporary companion. Lanky, with messy hair, and completely different from anyone in this closed off little town in the literal middle of nowhere. With desert on one side and miles and miles of forest all around them, the chance of travelers was near impossible.
Yes, Once-ler was like no one she'd ever met before. From the way he talked to his clothes she was entranced by him. Maybe it was because he was something new and different, a fresh color in this black and white town, but for whatever the reason Nikki was infatuated.
She half listened to him talking about the uses for his thneed, reaching down to lift the felt fedora from his head. To his credit he only paused for a second to watch her drop it on her own head before continuing, though now he could only watch her as she held the hat down in the breeze.
Once-ler stammered just a bit as he continued, "A-and you know a-about how it can be a sweater…"
Nikki smiled and nodded. "Yeah…I think that's my favorite. If I could figure out how you make it do different things I'd buy it myself." She turned a playful grin down on him, making his heart feel like it had paused in its beating, before she looked back to the trees.
A silence slipped over them, comfortable for one and nervous for the other. Once-ler couldn't help glancing up at her every few seconds. 'To make sure she doesn't lose my hat…' he continued telling himself. He watched the way her emotions played across her face, how it shifted from a soft sereneness to something he could only akin to loss.
He reached out a hand to touch hers, tugging her pinkie gently with his index finger. She ducked her head, glancing at their linked fingers before whispering something that was lost to a gust of wind.
"What was that, Nikki?" he inquired as she turned her gaze back to the trees.
"Why…" She swallowed a little nervously. "Why do you keep coming here even though you aren't selling these…" Nikki tugged on the makeshift sweater for emphasis, sliding her gaze back down to her friend.
"Well, I have to keep hoping to sell them, if I give up now then all my hard work would be for nothing. And my invention is bound to be a success, you've seen it! You know how awesome it is!" He beamed with the kind of pride that made Nikki envious. Had she ever had that kind of confidence in herself?
"I hope you don't give up…not ever…" The slight squeeze of her slender fingers, sent a strong reminder to Once-ler that he was still holding her hand. He felt the heat rise up all the way to his ears as he blushed. He quickly tugs his hand away and scratches the back of his neck.
"W-Why?"
Nikki slips down off the wall, landing lightly on her booted feet. She leans back against the wall, brushing her shoulder with her friend's. This sends a small bit of satisfaction coursing through her body, it's nice to have met a guy taller than her. "I'm scared…that you're gonna give up…pack up your stuff and leave…and then I won't see you anymore…"
She didn't look up to see his reaction. She couldn't bear it if he was laughing or sneering.
He watched her fidget nervously for a minute before nudging her shoulder back. "Maybe I'll still come, even if I can't sell them." Now it was his turn to keep his gaze steady on the horizon.
"Really?" Nikki couldn't hide the growing enthusiasm in her voice.
"Sure! I promise…"
The kiss she pressed to his lips wasn't exactly a mind blowing passionate one, but it was warm and so full of genuine warmth that it left the poor man stunned completely silent. Nikki pulled away with her face stained red by an intense blush.
They stared at each other for just a few seconds before Nikki made a half choked squeaking noise and ran off. The Once-ler watched her retreat, still trapped in stunned silence for a moment longer before the realization of what just occurred crashed over him.
After that…he couldn't wipe the grin off of his face as he started the long trek home.
Nikki peeked back around the wall just in time to watch the Once-ler's retreat back into the forest. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her gaze never wavering until the man's figure was lost to the glare of the slowly setting sun. All she could hope was that he wasn't angry about her sudden kiss, and that he would be back tomorrow in the town square.