Something Sweet
XXXXXX
Author's Notes: Best title ever, amirite? /shot
Anyway, SO SO SOOOOO sorry for the delay in stories. I have a lot going on right now, so I can't guarantee speedy uploads.
However, I can confirm that NONE of my current stories will be abandoned. That, I promise. It's just taking forever. :'D
Anyway, some people were asking if I ever plan to do a full story for Eleanor. The answer is... extremely unlikely. It's not that I don't like Eleanor (I actually quite like her CGI version, the cartoon, not so much at all.), it's just that I'm not really a fan either. I'm mainly writing this to get a bit of practice in before I return to my real stories. But, she does deserve a bit of love, so here's a one-shot!
This is from Eleanor's POV, by the way!
Eleanor stretched out, trying her best to touch her toes. With a little bit of effort, she succeeded, letting out a relieved sigh. She hated to admit it, but Ian's past comment about her weight had gotten to her a bit. Not totally, mind you, but it did make her just a little bit self-conscious.
'Maybe you should lay off the nuts...'he had said. She remembered how red her cheeks had blushed when he said it. Her sisters had told her to not take anything he said to heart, and that it was all in the past, but she couldn't help but think, maybe, he had a point.
That was partly why she was so interested in trying out for soccer. Or, rather, at least practicing at it! Ms. Elaine had told her she was too small, and that she would undoubtedly get hurt out in the field. But, with a bit of pleading, her coach allowed her to practice privately during gym class. She had surprised her fellow students with her energetic nature and flexibility, which betrayed her round appearance. Despite her eagerness, however, she still tired out more easily, so she regularly took water breaks while sitting on the bench.
"Eleanor!"
Eleanor's ears twitched at the familiar voice, looking around with a bright smile.
"Hey, Theodore!" she waved, running over the meet him. She gave him a small hug, squeezing him gently. Her smile grew even wider (though she tried her best to stifle it) as she saw a deep blush spread across Theodore's cheeks.
He pulled away after a while, looking nervous, but happy.
"S-so! Are you ready to head to our next class? I thought I'd walk you there," he said, rubbing the back of his head shyly.
Eleanor nodded. "You know it – ow!"
A ball shot over and hit Eleanor in the back of the head, sending her falling forward. Theodore immediately held out his arms to catch her, eyes wide in alarm.
"Are you okay?" he asked, helping her onto her feet.
Eleanor winced, feeling the sore spot in the back of her head. It stung to the touch, forcing her to snatch her hand back in pain. For a moment, she wondered if she was bleeding. She glanced up at Theodore, whose eyes were clouded by worry. Ah, suck it up, Ellie! You know how he worries!
"I-I'm okay!" Eleanor lied, trying her best to steady herself. Thankfully, Theodore still had a hold of her.
She could tell that Theodore didn't buy her act for a second, for he raised an eyebrow suspiciously. However, he didn't pursue it, instead checking her for injuries.
"Do you want me to walk you to the infirmary?" Theodore asked, sitting her down.
Eleanor shook her head, patting his hand. "No, no need for that! It's just a bump."
Theodore frowned, looking around for the culprit. Eleanor followed his line of vision to no other than... Alvin.
Eleanor scowled deeply, anger bubbling up inside her chest. Oh brother, I should have known. Knowing him, he probably did it on purpose! I should go over there and -
Before she could finish her mental rant, Theodore stomped over to his older brother, who was showing off in front of a small group of girls. He was balancing the small, chipmunk-friendly soccer ball on his nose, much to the awe of his admirers.
Theodore tapped Alvin's shoulder. "Alvin!"
"What? Woah!" Alvin lost his concentration and the ball bounced against his forehead, causing him to tumble over. The girls giggled and disbanded, leaving teasing remarks in their wake. Alvin scowled down at his baby brother. "What, Theodore? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"You hit Eleanor," Theodore said softly, motioning back to her. "You need to say sorry."
Alvin's eyes darted over to the petite, blonde chipmunk. He narrowed his eyes, smirking. "I didn't see her."
"That doesn't matter!" Theodore protested, stomping his foot. "You still need to say sorry, even if it was an accident."
Alvin rolled his eyes, picking up his ball and twirling it on the tip of his finger. "I'm not going to apologize for something I didn't mean to do, Theo."
"But, that's not—!"
"What? Going to tell Dave again? Can't fight your own battles?" Alvin spat, walking closer to Theodore. Theodore backed up, slightly intimidated by Alvin's height. "Too scared to handle things by yourself?"
Eleanor watched with sympathetic eyes as Theodore stuttered, unable to find a good rebuttal. Alvin smirked triumphantly, walking away from him.
God, how can a huge jerk like him be related to someone as sweet as Theodore? It makes no sense! Eleanor thought as she rushed over to Theodore.
Theodore looked over at her, shame evident on his face. He shoved his paws into his pockets, his eyes glued to the ground as he kicked at a few blades of grass.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, purposely avoiding eye contact with her.
Eleanor took his hand, smiling confidently. "It's all right," she reassured him. "There's no need to apologize. He can be a huge jerk." She stressed this last bit, loud enough for Alvin's ears to pick it up. She tried her best to hide a satisfied smirk when she saw his shoulders tense in anger. She was even more satisfied to see some of his admirers snicker as well.
Theodore sighed, still holding her hand. "Anyway, are you all done with practice?"
"Oh! Not yet, could you wait for me?" Eleanor squeaked, adjusting her shorts. "I just need to run a few laps." She gestured to the track.
Theodore giggled, sitting down on the grass near the starting line. "No problem, Ellie! I wish I could race you."
"There's really nothing to it! I can practice with you sometime," Eleanor offered, hoping he would accept.
Theodore smiled brightly at her, nodding his head. "I'd like that."
Eleanor's tail twitched happily. His smile always made her heart flutter. It was no secret (well, at least not to Brittany and Jeanette) that she had a huge crush on Theodore. She'd had one even before she met him in person. She knew that their budding relationship was a dream come true, but she didn't want to rush things; there was so much she wanted to know about him. Eleanor was sure he had a lot of things going for him, and she wanted to know all of them before things moved along.
"Alright, here I go!" she shouted. Eleanor started off strong, dashing down the track as fast as she could. Her eyes were focused only in front of her, for Ms. Elaine had told her that if you noticed just how long the track was, you might get intimidated, slow down, or tire more easily. This was especially true for the tiny chipmunk.
So far, so good,she thought, pacing herself. She smiled as she heard a high-pitched cheer off in the distance.
"Go, Eleanor! You've got this! You're making great time!" Theodore yelled from his position.
Eleanor could just imagine him jumping up and down in his enthusiasm and blushed at the thought. He's so supportive! Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by the light scuttling of someone running up from behind her. That couldn't be Theodore, could it? She glanced around to check and immediately cringed. Ugh, it's him...
Alvin was quickly closing the distance between them, looking as though he wasn't even breaking a sweat. He soon caught up with her, that ever-present, arrogant smirk on his face.
"Well, well, who knew the pudgy one would be into sports?" Alvin said, laughing.
Eleanor's cheeks flushed red, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Who are you calling pudgy! And it's none of your business—"
"And it wasn't any of your business what happened between me and Theodore. But, then, you would defend that baby, wouldn't you?" he sneered. "Since you're obviously in love with him," He added with a cackle.
Eleanor blushed so hard she thought it was only a matter of time before steam rose from her face. "W-w-who told you that? Brittany?"
"Ah, so it is true," Alvin grinned, pleased that Eleanor had confirmed the juicy bit of gossip.
Eleanor mentally kicked herself several times. Oh no! If he tells Theodore...
"You better not tell him," Eleanor warned, though she honestly didn't know how she would stop him if he tried.
Alvin narrowed his eyes, matching her own. "Stay out of my business and stop trying to be a white knight to Theodore, and I won't tell him about it," he bargained. "But seriously, you need to hide it better. Even I can see it from a mile away—Brittany didn't need to tell me."
With a mocking laugh, he sped past her. His tail swept behind him, catching her front paw and tripping her, sending her rolling forward for a few feet with a screech. Pure anger bubbled up inside her, accompanied with multiple curses in her head, as a piece of gravel jabbed her in the stomach. Eleanor tried her best to get along with Theodore's family. She had no problem getting along with Dave (who was like an adoptive father), or Simon, who was very mature and kind, if not a bit of a stick-in-the-mud sometimes. But Alvin... she just could not tolerate him.
If this is how he treats others he hardly even knows, then it must be ten-times worse for his brothers...
She stood up shakily, dusting off the dirt in her fur. A sharp pain in her elbow told her that she had scraped it in the fall, along with the scratch that was already bleeding on her stomach. She glanced over at the finish line, where Theodore was still sitting, helplessness reading on his face. She quickly swallowed the pain and dashed over the line, wincing each time she put pressure on her arms.
Theodore ran over, concerned. "You did great, Ellie! That was lots faster than I could have done, that's for sure! Are... are you okay? Your elbow..."
Eleanor rubbed the scratch on her elbow. "I-it's okay. I tripped, that's all."
Theodore gently took her arm, inspecting the small wound. "Come on, I'll clean it for you."
Eleanor followed him to the water fountain, where he used a bit of napkin to wet and clean her elbow. He then reached inside his small backpack and pulled out a band-aid, tearing it into smaller pieces and placing one over the small wound.
"There! All better?" Theodore asked hopefully.
"Mm! Much better!" Eleanor giggled.
Theodore smiled in relief. "I'm glad..."
Eleanor's nose twitched curiously. Was it her imagination, or was there a hint of sadness in his voice?
"Theo? You okay?" Eleanor asked, gently touching his shoulder.
Theodore bit his lip nervously, folding his hands behind his back. "Yeah! Er…yeah," he responded. "Um, are you all set? I can carry your backpack."
Eleanor thanked him, handing him her spring-green backpack. She could tell he was lying, but she didn't push for a confession. She knew all too well how shy he was, and she didn't want to pressure him. They walked in silence for a while towards their next class. They were definitely running late by now, but she would just explain to their teacher that she'd had a lot to do in gym. Teachers tended to believe that type of thing.
"Um... Ellie? I mean... Eleanor?"
"Yes, Theodore?" Eleanor replied, meanwhile thinking, Why would he use my full name? He knows he can call me Ellie!
"You were really great out there. I didn't think you could run so fast and keep it up. I mean—!" He held his hands up, panicking. "N-not that I didn't think you could! I mean..."
Eleanor giggled, playfully nudging him. "Relax, silly! Thank you."
He gave her a weak smile before looking down at his feet dejectedly.
Eleanor couldn't understand what was hurting him so much. Was it Alvin again? I bet it was... or, did I say something wrong?
"Theodore, what's wrong?" she asked again; it was unbearable to see him so sad. "You can tell me, honest."
"Well... you're really good at sports. And... Alvin's really good at sports too," Theodore mumbled, avoiding her eyes.
Wait... he can't mean that... Eleanor shivered at the implication. If Theodore were anyone else, she would have smacked them upside the head. Several times, in fact. How in the world could he think that she and Alvin were together? Just because she and Alvin both liked sports? Yeesh, no way. How did he even get that idea in his head? Did he not see what he did to me back there?
Eleanor calmed herself down before attempting to answer him. "That's true. So what?" she snapped.
Okay, maybe I didn't have to bark at him. It's not his fault, totally. I mean, maybe I can see where it came from: Alvin is big with the other girls, especially Brittany. But he's not my type! I'd have strangled him before it was all over and done with.
Theodore winced at her tone. "I… um… do you two ever practice together? Or anything...?" His voice trailed off at the horrified look on Eleanor's face.
She couldn't help it. Not only had his words disgusted her, but it also hurt her a little. Does he think I'd go for someone like that, much less his own brother? I'd never hurt him like that. Eleanor took a deep breath, trying to look at the brighter side of things. But, then again, that also proves that he cares about me! He's worried about me liking someone else!
"Believe me, Theo," Eleanor said softly, squeezing his hand. "You don't have to worry about that. At all. I only practice and exercise there with Ms. Elaine. For whatever stupid reason, he happened to be there today—total coincidence. There's absolutely nothing there…" She thought a minute before adding, "But I find it cute that you're jealous."
Eleanor grinned as Theodore blushed a bright red, leading the way into their cooking class. "I-I'm not that—"
"Ah, there you two are!" their teacher, Mr. Lloyd, said from his table at the front of the class. "Please, take a seat. We have a lot to do today."
Eleanor and Theodore nodded, scurrying over to their shared table and sitting next to each other on top of it. Theodore's cheeks were still red as he scampered back and forth, flipping through their shared book to the correct recipe. Today they were making a chocolate cake.
"Well, um," Theodore whispered, not wanting to be overheard. "I mean, it's not like we're together yet, er—o-or anything," he said, smiling up at her. "So, if... if you ever d-did, I guess I couldn't blame you. Alvin gets all the pretty girls..."
Eee, he thinks I'm pretty! Eleanor wanted to shout out for the world to hear. Oh god, calm down...
Eleanor reached over to the open bag of chocolate chips, poking one into his mouth. Theodore blinked several times before chewing the chocolate piece and swallowing, seeming to understand the hint to stop talking.
"You're so silly, Theodore," Eleanor said lovingly, nibbling on another Hershey's chocolate chip. "Just because we don't have sports in common... it doesn't mean I like you any less. Even though you weren't out there on the track with me, you cheered me on every step of the way. What more could I want?"
Theodore stared at her, never having truly considered that himself. "I… guess that's true! I'm a big fan of yours."
Eleanor grinned back at him. "Besides, I can always take you out there and practice with you! After school. I mean, if you'd like."
Theodore nodded eagerly. He'd never liked exercising, usually because he didn't have any people he was comfortable enough around to work out with. But with Ellie...
"I'd love that," he admitted genuinely.
"Good! Then it's a date," Eleanor said playfully, winking.
She laughed as he blushed again, stuttering, "D-date?"
"Mm," Eleanor smiled, placing her hand on top of his. "Just you and me."
Theodore looked up at her, looking her straight in the eyes. A sincere, confident smile spread across his face. "Yeah… Just you and me."
Author's Note: Aww, fluff!
It's hard NOT to do fluff of these two! Because they're so cute and squishy. :3
Ah, good, I feel this was good practice to get back into my other stories! Expect some big updates soon! Love you and God bless you guys! /muchlove
Thanks so much to Contemperina! I know she has so much going on right now, and I really appreciate you editing for me! I couldn't have made so many decent stories without you! You're an angel. ;.;