I'm Not as Sweet as Honey, Honey's as Sweet as Me

by Chaos Inventor

Clay wanted to leave his past behind. He got what he wished for when he arrived in Echo Village. But he never expected that a face from his past would come to live in the town. MichellexOC. Warning: There's some violence and blood. Also, it doesn't matter if you like or hate Michelle; the story works either way.

Clay wanted to leave behind his past. He had not had a happy childhood thanks to the other kids in his town. But now that he'd moved to Echo Village and taken over his father's farm, that had all changed. He was helping rebuild the town. Everyone depended on him. Everyone liked him. And then... Michelle arrived.

When Michelle arrived in Echo Village, she was surprised by how much it had changed since she'd last been there, but also by how much she recognised.
However, she was even more surprised to find that the town wasn't the only thing she recognised.
Dunhill brought Michelle to the farmer in town who'd built her house, but instead of introducing herself, Michelle just laughed.
"Oh my goodness, it's Fig the Twig!" Michelle laughed loudly, rather than her usual giggle.
Clay yelped. He recognised Michelle immediately as well. He could never forget those people.
"Get out, get out, get out!" Clay wailed.
Michelle laughed again, but then calmed herself down, returning to giggling like she usually did.
"Sorry. I'm a magician, and I'm going to be performing at the restaurant in town," Michelle explained.
Clay didn't reply. He buried his face in his hands while Michelle exited the house, giggling uncontrollably.
Dunhill stared in confusion and eventually walked over to Clay and patted him on the back.
"It's okay," Dunhill murmured, although he had no idea what was going on.
Clay started crying.
"Is there something you'd like to get off your chest?" Dunhill asked.
Clay looked up through his tears and said, "Michelle grew up in the same town as me."
"Let me guess. You got picked on a lot when you were a kid?" Dunhill asked.
"How was it so easy for you to guess?! Do I really look that pathetic?!" Clay cried.
"Well, you're crying, so that made it obvious. Also, she called you Fig the Twig," Dunhill pointed out.
"Oh. Right. All the kids in town called me Fig the Twig," Clay explained.
"It'll be okay. Nobody's going to pick on you now!" Dunhill encouraged.
"Did you hear how Michelle was laughing at me?!" Clay shouted.
"...It'll be okay," Dunhill repeated, unsure.

Michelle was a popular addition to the town. She helped bring in a lot of tourists. But whenever Clay entered the same vicinity as her, he ran away.
Michelle was getting sick of this. She could talk to anyone. But not Clay. He was always running away.
She chased him down one day.
"What's your problem with me?!" she questioned.
"What's YOUR problem with ME?" Clay replied.
"What do you mean? I don't have a problem with you!" Michelle answered.
"You called me Fig the Twig. My name is CLAY," Clay said.
"Oh, come on. I didn't mean to be cruel when we first saw each other again. I just recognised you," Michelle said.
"Then why were you laughing so much?!" Clay demanded.
"Okay, okay, I won't do it again! Are you okay now?" Michelle asked.
Clay mumbled a bit, a little teary eyed. Michelle fought hard not to laugh. She remembered how much Clay used to cry when they were kids.
"I don't believe you," Clay said, seeing Michelle fighting her laughter.
"I'm sorry, Fig!" Michelle laughed.
"I'll never forgive you!" Clay stated, running off in tears.

Clay avoided all places where he was sure he'd run into Michelle. He avoided the area near her house and the restaurant on most days.
Today, however, he was feeling tired and hungry and would rather just go to the restaurant than cook something himself. It was a Wednesday, so Michelle wasn't going to be there anyway.
Clay walked in and over to the counter wearily, making his order and then turning to choose a seat to sit at. Only then did he see Michelle was in the room.
Clay was about to run out of the restaurant but Michelle snapped, "Felicity! Shut the door!"
Felicity ran over and blocked the exit, but she had no idea why. Michelle's voice had just been so commanding that she'd obeyed.
"Why do you want to make my life a misery?!" Clay wailed.
"I just want you to not hate me!" Michelle replied.
"It's not like I hate you! You just remind me of the worst moments in my life!" Clay said.
"Oh, that makes me feel much better!" Michelle said sarcastically, but with a pout to look cute.
Clement brought Clay his food. Clay sighed, sat down and started eating while Michelle hovered over him.
She was angry. How come she couldn't win him over?! Everyone else in town liked her.
But her giggles, her winks, her smiles, her UTTER CUTENESS wasn't working on Clay! She knew now that it would never work.
"So, you changed your name to Clay, huh?" Michelle asked.
"...Yeah. It's better than Fig," Clay mumbled.
"Then I guess I won't call you Fig," Michelle said.
"You won't?" Clay asked, a glimmer of hope rising in him.
Michelle winked at him and answered, "I'll call you Twig!"
Clay stood up and left his meal uneaten. He walked to the door, Felicity stepped aside, and he left. Michelle laughed the whole time.

Clay stopped by the tailor shop one day. Michelle wasn't there, thankfully. He quickly ran up to the counter and asked Yuri, "Can you alter the size of my clothes?"
"Oh...? Are you not a twig any more?" Yuri asked.
"...Why are you calling me a twig?" Clay questioned.
"I do hang out with Michelle... you know," Yuri answered.
"I'd rather you didn't call me that, please," Clay requested.
"Okay... I don't really know why Michelle does, anyway... Seems unnecessary," Yuri said.
"Oh. Thanks. I think I'm putting on weight now, you know? So yeah, I'm not a twig any more," Clay said.
"Do you want me to take your measurements now... or another day?" Yuri asked.
"Do you have to completely remeasure me? Because that was kind of awkward las-" Clay started.
"I'll just do it now," Yuri interrupted.
"O- okay," Clay mumbled.
Yuri moved Clay into place and insisted he didn't move while she was measuring him.
So, of course, while Clay was 'immobilised,' who should drop into the tailor's but Michelle!
"Oh look, it's Twig!" Michelle giggled.
Clay yelped. He looked at Yuri, asking with his eyes to let him leave but Yuri shook her head and said, "Let me finish measuring you first."
"Oh, Twig, are you getting clothes made? I suggest getting one of these!" Michelle said, picking a pre-made bright pink shirt off of a rack.
Clay clenched his teeth, trying not to blush too much, because he already owned the exact shirt Michelle was joking about.
Michelle walked on over, watching Yuri work and Clay look back and forth between them worriedly. Then Michelle pinched his arm and said, "Aww, still a twig, I see!"
Clay couldn't take it any more. He had to get out. He grabbed Yuri's measuring tape out of her hands and pulled it until it tore in half, then ran out of the building while Yuri was distracted. She picked up the remains of her measuring tape, upset.
Yuri turned to Michelle and asked, "Why are you always so mean to him?"
"You think I'm mean as well? I'm not! I'm just teasing him," Michelle replied.
"Can't you see how upset he is...? Why would you continue saying stuff... like that?" Yuri questioned.
Michelle didn't reply. She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Twig! Twig. Twig, Twig! Over here, Twig!"
Michelle's voice rang in Clay's ears. She kept on calling him Twig. She repeated the nickname over and over whenever she was nearby.
He tried to keep his distance, but she tracked him down, just to torment him.
At one of the annual Crop Festivals, Clay was celebrating his victory when he noticed he was walking into Michelle's vicinity.
He turned and tried to walk the other way, but Michelle had already called out to him, "Twig!"
He stopped, closed his eyes, trying to stay calm. She ran over to him and when she was beside him, she said, "Good job today! I didn't expect much from you, Twig!"
"STOP CALLING ME TWIG!" Clay shouted, spun around and punched Michelle right in the face.
Everyone in the square watched in shock. Nothing was said for some time.
Clay was horrified by what he had done. He looked at Michelle who was lying on the ground in shock, and couldn't even work up the courage to apologise.
He just ran. He ran all the way home.
The other villagers gathered around and asked Michelle if she was all right. She looked like she was about to cry.
"What can we do?" they asked.
"I want to go home!" Michelle sobbed.
Yuri helped her walk back. Michelle leaped into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.
"Michelle? What are you doing?" Yuri asked.
"I can never go out again! I'm going to get a black eye! No one can ever see my face again!" Michelle wept.
"Calm down... I'll help you," Yuri said.
"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" Michelle shouted and continued crying.
Meanwhile, at Clay's house, Clay had shut himself inside. He was determined to never go outside again.
He knew everyone would hate him now. He had hit Michelle! Of course they would hate him!
He couldn't even believe himself that he had hit Michelle. He felt like the worst human being to ever walk the planet.

A week later, Clay and Michelle met again. Neither had left their houses for some time. Neither knew how to act around the other.
After a drawn out silence, Clay quickly spoke before Michelle could say anything, "I'm sorry! I'm so, so, so sorry!"
"...You've got more guts than you did when you were a kid," Michelle said.
"Huh?! That's what you've got to say?" Clay asked, stunned.
"You KNOW you're going to pay dearly for what you did to me!" Michelle snapped, suddenly seeming like herself again.
"I know. I'm sorry. You should hit me in the face, as payback," Clay said.
Michelle didn't like the sound of that. She didn't think she would swing that great a punch. But it was a start.
"Okay. But it's only the beginning of my revenge," Michelle said.
Clay closed his eyes and prepared himself. Michelle drew back her fist and punched Clay in the face.
"Aaaaaoooowwwww!" Clay fell backwards and screamed in pain, covering his nose.
Michelle looked at her knuckles and saw blood on them. "Aaaaaaahhh!" she screamed.
She looked up at Clay who had taken his hands off his nose now and they both saw how much blood was on his face. They both screamed.
They screamed until Clay started to feel dizzy and then Michelle asked, "WHAT DO WE DO?"
"Hospital," Clay mumbled weakly and they ran.
When they entered the clinic and Klaus saw them, he sighed and growled, "Why are you two always fighting?!"

After that, they found it easier to talk to each other. They eventually forgave each other for the punching-face incidents and began hanging out together.
Clay didn't mind Michelle's teasing, because he felt he deserved it.
"You know, Twig, you shouldn't always dress like that. You would look GREAT in pink," Michelle said.
"Y- you really think that? You... you should see my wardrobe," Clay mumbled.
"Oh really? Then I insist that I MUST see your wardrobe!" Michelle replied.
They went over to Clay's house and Michelle looked through his wardrobe. She was stunned by how much pink was in there.
"Oh my goodness! Twig! You love pink, huh?" Michelle squealed.
"...I mean... well... yeah," Clay mumbled, brushing his hair nervously.
Michelle remembered then that Clay's hair was pink as well. It occurred to her just then what Clay would really look good in.
"I know exactly what you should wear! An outfit like mine!" Michelle said.
"Hey! I'm not a girl!" Clay shouted.
"That's not important. You'd still look adorable in it," Michelle replied.
"...You don't even think of me as a boy, do you?" Clay whimpered.
"Why should that matter? I'm friends with you either way," Michelle said.
Clay sighed. Friends...

On another day, Michelle invited Clay over to see a new magic trick she was trying out. He watched in awe and told her how great it was. Michelle grinned.
Clay was silent then, then nervously said, "Hey, Michelle. Um... you like honey, right?"
"Yeah! I love how sweet it is," she replied and threw in a wink that said, 'Like me.'
"Good... because I have some here for you," Clay said, taking some honey from his rucksack for her.
"Oh thanks! I LOVE gifts!" Michelle said, taking the honey eagerly.
Clay sighed and blushed a little at Michelle saying the word love.
Michelle looked up at him. She noticed that his skin was starting to match his hair. They were the same attractive shade of pink.
Michelle was startled. Clay? Attractive? She'd never thought those two things in the same sentence before.
She looked back down at the honey. After a few moments, she asked, "You'll come again tomorrow, won't you?"
"Yes, of course," Clay replied.
"Good... Bring me another gift then, okay?" Michelle said. She smiled as she watched Clay leave her house.