It was the night before Christmas in Podunk in a rural part of America. Snowflakes fell from the night sky, the trees were covered in a blanket of snow, the houses and buildings were adorned with lights and Christmas decorations.
A Christmas party was starting in a house north of town, Ninten's house, the boy with psychic powers who saved the Earth with his friends.
The house was joyful and festive, family and friends were happily celebrating, some danced, others sang karaoke, especially Teddy. Ninten was talking to his friend, Lloyd and his girlfriend, Ana, the latter by his side.
"... And that's why I like Oreo cookies," Ninten finished explaining, leaving the others to be impressed.
"That's a funny story, Ninty," Ana said laughing a little as she took his hand and squeezed it gently.
"Yeah... You sure have had a strange experience here on Earth..." Lloyd trailed off, staring at Ninten and Ana's entwined hands.
"Hey, can I show you something, Ninten?" Ana asked a bit seriously. "Because you already know..."
"Oh, right. See you in a sec, Lloyd!" He said walking away with the blonde.
Lloyd looked at them as they walked away, hand in hand. 'Why don't I have someone who loves me? Is it my glasses? My gray hair? Why doesn't anyone love me like that? Why can't... "She" love me like that?' He thought somewhat sadly since Ninten and Ana were an official couple, which left him hoping that the girl he liked liked him back.
"Umm... Hello, Lloyd..." A small, shy voice quietly greeted.
Lloyd turned around and was surprised to see a ten year old girl wearing a white blouse under a red, strapless dress with dark red hair fastened by two gravity-defying, braided pigtails. "Hi Pippi. Why are you here alone?" He asked curiously.
"My parents didn't come, but I wanted to ask you a question, since you're a good friend of Ninten and Ana," she looked around and whispered in Lloyd's ear, "Does it bother you that they're dating?"
"No, I feel happy for them because they found their soul mate," Lloyd replied with emphasis at the end of his sentence. 'But lonely since I haven't,' he added in his mind.
"Well, who knows. My mom always told me that one day, love will come knocking on everyone's door." Pippi whispered all of a sudden as if she had read Lloyd's mind and looked away and muttered so quietly Lloyd could barely hear her over Teddy's singing, "I think you knocked for me. I like you a lot. You're really funny, not to mention cute."
"Huh? Run that by me again!" Lloyd stood considerably straighter at Pippi's claim, not sure he had heard her right.
"Oh, did I say that aloud? I said you... You... You're very cute, Lloyd..." Pippi trailed off with a slightly red stain on her pale face as she looked away from Lloyd.
"Thanks, you are too, you know..." The boy murmured while he pushed his glasses up, as if that would get rid of his blush, which had spread like a forest fire.
After a few seconds of silence, a wild sprig of mistletoe appeared over their heads, coming from seemingly nowhere.
"Umm... L-look..." Lloyd stuttered nervously. He had a chance to get what he wanted now! But, he was too overtaken to do anything, so he just stood there staring at Pippi.
"You know what this means, right?" The small redhead slowly approached Lloyd, then gently planted a kiss on his cheek. Lloyd was not expecting this, despite being the one to point out the mistletoe in the first place, and his face turned completely crimson, his legs threatening to give out at any moment.
"Merry Christmas, Lloyd." Pippi murmured, parting her lips slightly on his cheek.
Lloyd reacted instantly when Pippi started pulling back, who was ready to just run away from embarrassment. "Pippi, wait. Did you... Like that?"
"... Maybe a little..." Pippi purred to the floor, her blush extending down her neck.
This was his chance to make a move! "Well, in that case..." He didn't finish the sentence right away because he had approached Pippi, lifted her chin gently with his finger, and pressed his lips firmly against hers after whispering, "I love you, Pippi." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close as he dared.
Pippi didn't reply because she fainted in Lloyd's arms after seeing Lloyd's blissfully closed eyes through his glasses and feeling his arms snake around her in that tentative way of his.
Hiding around a corner were Ninten and Ana, who had been watching the scene the whole time. "See, I told you it would work," Ninten said with a fishing line with the sprig of mistletoe in his hands.
"Yes, silly," laughed Ana, "We should go and wake up Pippi before Lloyd gets too worried about her.
"Not before I get mine," Ninten chuckled as he tilted the fishing rod over Ana and himself and leaned in.
In his mind, Ninten did a fistpump. 'Double success!' He thought as he wrapped an arm around Ana, who took off his hat and played with his hair while Lloyd ran around the house looking for the one blue-haired healer that had been invited to the party.