Sprecken

Summery: Young Noodle has just learned a word, but someone doesn't care to hear it. How can someone who just learned the word understand it so much better than someone who's spoken English all their life?

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"Awright…let's try…'and."

"…An."

"No…'and."

"…An."

2D ran a hand through his dark blue hair with a sigh. Teaching was much harder than it looked. Although he rather enjoyed spending time with his new friend, it was hard knowing she was more frustrated than he could ever be with this learning English stuff. Her pronunciation was very different, making words sound off, and since he had somewhat of an accent himself, it didn't help her too much. Russel was the one for these things, having the patience of a saint, but he felt 2D should have some time together with the ten year old girl. After all, he had a feeling she was fairly comfortable with her new buddy ever since he pulled her out of that awful crate.

Murdoc however wasn't so welcoming.

"Kay…try like 'is. Huh-and."

The small girl bit her lip, looking at her own hands, "Haahn."

The singer gave her an encouraging smile, "Good! Yeh doin' real good!"

She smiled back, her eyes closing in cheeky happiness, but a frown pulled her smile down when 2D suddenly whimpered after receiving a smack to the head. "Can yeh say dullard?"

2D glanced back worriedly, seeing Noodle's anxiety of being wrong, "Aw, Muds, don't-"

"Shut up." the bassist snapped, attention sharply on the girl, "C'mon, say it! Dullard! Dul-lard! Say it, say it, say it!"

The child took a deep breath, stuttering her first bit, "D-dul…d-dular…d…dul…" she sighed, hanging her head, bottom lip trembling. "Muds, yo' gonna make 'er cry!" 2D whined, reaching out for the girl, and she climbed onto his lap timidly. Murdoc glared at her, "I'm tellin' yeh, 'ere's no use for tha' orphan 'ere! She's only takin' up space an' food!"

"At's not true!" 2D defended, hugging her close for fear that Murdoc might actually snatch her away, "Yeh 'eard 'ow well she can play on 'er guitar! An' she ain't an orphan! We're 'er family now! She's every bit as much apart o' it as you are!" Murdoc's glare traveled from the girl in the singer's arms to his face, "Family? Yeh think we're family, do yeh? I'd kill myself before I'd ever imagine the thought 'at we're related!"

The singer won himself another whack to his head before the bassist began to walk off. "An' teach 'at foreign alien some real words! I don't wanna 'ear tha' gibberish she's always squealin' at us! 'ow do yeh know she ain't cursin' a bloody storm at yeh, dullard?" he growled, giving the girl a venomous look. "B'cause she's my friend an' I trust 'er enough to know tha' she ain't!" 2D spat, giving her a friendly determined pat on the back. The girl only curled up closer, loathing the look the dark one was aiming at her.

Murdoc finally left the room, disappearing into the kitchen, and she sighed. She had never felt so hated and unwanted in her life. Well, the life that she could remember. Yet, this creature, this…man, knew how to bring her down in her weaknesses. Battle of arts? She could destroy him. Battle of music? She would make him cry. But in Battle of the wits, he ruled the board, knowing every dirty trick to gain him victory…and all she could do was cuddle up against those who protected her, willing to take her downfall.

Blinking, she realized tears were about to stream down, and she took a deep breath. No. She would not cry. Not here. Not now. Not in front of 2D. Swallowing hard, she glanced away as the singer looked down at her, but he tilted her chin up with his hand, forcing her to show her tears. He smiled tenderly, talking very gently, "'e don't mean it, Noodle. I know yeh don't get much o' wot I'm sayin' right now, but…'e ain't as 'eartless as 'e seems. Its awright…" he murmured, seeing her stubbornness not to cry was giving up, and he rubbed her back as she leaned against his chest, small gasps sounding every few moments, a true moment of misery, "Yeh can cry…g'head…s'awright, love…"

Wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands, she glanced up, a word catching her attention. "Luv."

2D tilted his head with a smile, a toothy grin about to show, "Yeh said tha' perfectly!" She smiled, repeating it, "Luv!" 2D chuckled as she said it over and over, quietly then loudly, loving the word. After a moment, she looked at him curiously, "Luv?" The singer smiled, "Hm?"

"Luv?...Luv?" she shrugged her shoulders, body language letting him know she had no idea what it meant. "Oh!" he figured, scratching his head, "Erm…wull…love is…a nickname, but…love is…" he tapped his chin, unsure of how to describe it. Noodle looked at him, completely lost in his fumble of words. "Oh, I got it!" he nodded, wrapping his arms around her and snuggling her close, "Love!" The girl felt her cheeks slightly burn, still not perfectly use to those she knew as 'family' and he chuckled, noticing this. Still, he nodded, "'at's love. Best I can explain it."

Noodle connected hugging and cuddling to love, a nice action that made one feel good. Nodding, she returned the hug, nuzzling against him, "Luv?" 2D grinned, ruffling her hair, "Love." he assured. "Not luv?" asked Noodle, having learned the word from Russel. 'Not' was a favorite of hers, next to 'noodle'. 2D pouted in thought, "Eh…not love is 'ate."

2D frowned, glaring, looking extremely angry, and pointed to his expression, "'ate." Noodle suddenly stared at the kitchen doorway sadly, and 2D shook his head quickly, "No, no, no! Love! Love!" he changed, hugging her again, not wanting her to think that Murdoc actually hated her. Noodle nodded slowly, pulling away, "Luv…arigatou, 2D-san." The singer sighed, knowing she wasn't in the mood to learn anymore. "Awright, yeh did good though, Noodle. I'm proud o' yeh! Good job." he smiled, and she bowed, tittering off. 2D rubbed his head. Well…she did a good review and learned a new word. That was good in his book.

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Murdoc rummaged through the kitchen, looking for something edible. Most of the rubbish Russel brought home rotted the next day. Maybe it was something in the air….

Grabbing a beer, he sat at the table, opening one of his newest magazines. After a few pages, his stomach began to growl, disturbing his reading. Sighing darkly, he put his mag down, noticing a pair of eyes staring at him from the corner of the kitchen. "Bloody 'ell…" he jumped, giving the child a dark look, "Wot do you want?" The girl kept quiet, not wanting to sound anymore stupid to him then he already judged. "I thought I told 'at dullard teh teach you 'ow teh speak…" he grumbled, looking through the cabinets.

Finding a pack of cookies, he opened them, sitting back at his seat, not thinking in the least to offer the child one. Halfway done with them, he glanced at her, seeing she was still there. He looked at the snack in his hand and smirked, "Yeh want one?" Keeping quiet, she looked at the cookies, then back at him. "Say cookie." he teased, waving one in the air. She rubbed her arm, eyes staring through him. "Pathetic." he commented, biting the cookie with a loud crunch. "Coo'ie." he said with a full mouth, waving it, "Cookie! Cookie! Say it, dammit! Say cookie!"

"COOKIE!" she fumed, glaring at him.

He grinned, "Heheh, yeh sound like 'em Chinese people in the store. 'ey can't say fortune, but 'ey can bloody well say cookie!" he laughed, tossing one at her, but it was a short throw, and it landed in front of her, on the floor. She had made no effort to go after it, though. "Aw, did yeh miss?" he asked, shoving another one in his mouth. Her foot answered this, smashing the fallen one into dust and meshed chocolate. "I 'ope yeh prepared teh clean 'at up, missy." he sneered with a belch.

Crossing her arms, she closed her eyes, thinking nothing of the sort. Instead, she brushed the crumbles towards him with her foot, opening an eye. Growling, Murdoc put down his snack, standing up, going around the mess, and stood in front of Noodle, towering over her. "Now look 'ere, yeh lit'tle bugger! You 'ate me an' I ain't too fond o' you myself, but around 'ere, I got autho-"

"Not!"

Murdoc paused after being interrupted. He winced, confused with a frown, "Not wot? Yeh still don't make sense! Speak English!"

"Not!" Noodle yelled, stomping her feet. "Not, not, not!"

"NOT WOT!" he roared, and she looked up at him, standing firmly, "Not hate!" An awkward silence filled the room as the two shared an odd stare. "Not hate. Noodle luv." she said, nodding her head slowly. Murdoc rolled his eyes, "Yeh don't impress me lit'tle girl, the dullard's always sayin' at word. Yeh don't know wot it means, yeh only a parrot, repeatin' ev'ry bloody thing yeh 'ear! My tape recorder can do betta' than you!" he snarled, turning to his drink. Noodle stared at the ground. She wasn't too sure of what he said, but she knew it couldn't be anything positive. Reading body language and facial expressions was what got her this far.

"Noodle not hate! Noodle luv!" she whined, pointing a threatening finger at him. "Ah, shut up." he snapped, taking a swig, but was forced to spit some due to a jolt hitting his stomach, yet it wasn't a hostile hit. Noodle had run into him, catching him by surprise. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he frowned, looking down, "Wot are yeh doin'!"

Nuzzling her cheek against his stomach, the child hugged him tightly, "Noodle not hate. Noodle luv. Murdoc not hate. Murdoc good." she nodded, her grip not lessening. Feeling a bit off, he stood there with a puzzled appearance, wondering what was wrong with the girl. A moment ago they had been at each other's necks, and now? Now she was hugging him? What was going on? "Noodle not hate Murdoc." she announced, "Murdoc not hate Noodle….Noodle luv Murdoc. Murdoc good…nice." she finished, bobbing her head with certainty and the bassist gave her an unusual gawk, unsure of how to answer to that.

"Murdoc…luv Noodle?" she asked curiously, not thinking too deeply into the sentence, but merely seeking acceptance. The dark Brit brought himself to slowly pat the girl on the head, "Erm…sho', wotever…" he said awkwardly. This won him a relieved smile from the child. "Uhm…off yeh go." he muttered quietly, yet quickly, giving her a slight head start on her walk as she released him. He arched an eyebrow, shaking his head, noticing the smashed mess on the floor. Growling, he sat in his chair, picking up his magazine again, "'at girl still speaks bloody gibberish teh me…" He opened up the mag, "But 'at's damn good bloody gibberish." he finished with a smirk, sipping his beer.

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Author's Note: I've been doing a lot of Noodle/2D so here's a little Noodle/Muds for ya'll. It was a dream. XD Nice dream, eh?