A/N:

Sky: K so, I've been having a bit of laziness on this story lately because I've been really into Percy Jackson and the Olympians lately, and No Matter What's plot has picked up to the point where I'm all excitable. Since Ayns and I are ironing out the next chapter while FF goes into a glitchfest, I decided I may as well try and put up another chapter of this. Sorry to all the people who sent messages telling us that FF wasn't letting them review, or the people who reviewed that we didn't reply to. Seems the site has gone up its own butt for a bit :X We started getting the reviews in e-mails again, so thank you everyone who stuck with it to review ^^

Thank you to the reviewers since chapter 6 went up: Schadenfreude62, Trickster Queen464, Blue-Eyed-Lily, redfirepixie318, msjezzi-bella, ladedalada, Lara D, Hypocritically Her, Lyla Domae, Lumiere Nordiques, heartofpunks, grimmgirl, Ascaisil, RainbowofSmiles16, Hippiegirl321995, Horsegirl99, Kendran, Tanglenight, and broken beyond repair. ^^

That bein' said, enjoy!

Oh yeah, this chapter takes place during book 6 while Puck and Sabrina are handcuffed to each other. :3

*****

Musings of a King

Chapter Seven: Was That Panda Mocking Me?

*****

I missed my footie-pajamas.

That was the main thought I focused on while I lay on my back on the trampoline, staring up at the sky. Sleep? Yeah right. The source of my most infuriating and flustering confusion was handcuffed to me, just a few feet away. If I didn't focus on things like why I didn't want to be seen in my footie-pajamas or what Marshmallow sounded like when she snored, I was just going to think about her even more.

Then again, the whole reason I'd abandoned the pajamas was so she wouldn't think I was immature.

Bah! We both know I'm immature. And proud!

I scowled at the thought, then craned my head a little, glancing over the Marshmallow's messy hair. She didn't look like she was asleep, but her eyes were closed. Well, crap, now I couldn't stop looking. And despite the fact that she couldn't see me, I frowned at her, hoping she'd feel guilty. I'd even had to kick her earlier for pouring it on thick when the Marshmallow had felt bad about the bank. I couldn't even figure out how she could look at herself in the mirror with the way she lied and used the people around her. Her grandma, her sister… And me too.

"You awake?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"Yes," she answered simply and quickly. Just like that, the silence was broken and I couldn't let it go back.

"When are you going to tell her what you did?" I asked, getting right to the point. I could practically feel her scowl directed at my face.

"Maybe you should mind your own business."

Typical. I laughed. "As if I could around this place. Every time I turn around the two of you are facing down death—monsters, robots, dragons. Saving your butts is a full-time job," I replied, rolling my eyes and mocking her.

Good touch, too. It pissed her off more.

"Then why don't you go back to being a villain? I liked you a lot better when you weren't trying to save us."

Ungrateful little snot…

"I'll go back to being a villain if you go back to the way you were," I said simply, knowing I was about to slap her in the face with words.

"And how was I, Mr. Smarty Pants?" She asked, right on schedule.

"For one," I said, wishing I could see her reaction. "You were honest."

Her silence said more than enough to me—I'd gotten her and she had no good retort. When she finally did speak, it was lame and grudging. "You're one to talk."

I chuckled, glancing back up at the night sky wistfully. "I am a lot of things, Sabrina—mischievous, mean-spirited, gassy—but they don't make me a bad person. They make me immature," I admitted. I wasn't sure why I'd used her name again… Maybe so she'd take me seriously and listen to what I had to say for once. "You, however, are skating very close to the line. You stole from someone who trusted you and then you lied about it."

I felt her wrist shift, knowing at once she wanted to get up and run away. Yeah, truth hurts, doesn't it?

In any case, she couldn't go anywhere, not without taking me with her, and I wasn't budging.

"I did what I had to do," she said finally. "Daphne would never have gone to get the weapon. Mr. Canis could eat Granny, Elvis, and half of Ferryport Landing and she would still totally trust him. I'm the only one who sees what he's becoming."

She had half a point there—the Marshmallow was too trusting. Sometimes, she reminded me of Snow White. Not the ass-kicking, kung fu-fighting, bitch-slapping William Charming off the globe, in-your-face, hardcore chick she was now—but the innocent and naïve little girl who had gotten herself killed like four times by the same person. Three or four; like I kept track of how often someone choked on an apple or suffocated via corseted ribbons. In any case, the Marshmallow was like that. She liked to look for the good in people, even when they didn't deserve it.

A part of me had to wonder if the reason Sabrina Grimm was so jaded and balancing on the wrong side of the tracks was because she was the one who had to keep the Marshmallow looking through rose-tinted glasses. Just how much had Grimm sheltered her sister from, anyway?

"Who's arguing with you about that? It's obvious to most of us that furface is in trouble," I answered with a troubled look on my face. "I won't even say you're wrong about wanting to do something about it."

"Then what's the lecture for?"

Ah. The dense Grimm we all know and lo—

Nevermind.

"The lecture's because the way you are going about these things kinda stinks. It's all nice and noble of you to want to do the right thing, even if I do think it's stupid. But if the only way to make something good happen is to do something bad, then maybe it's not worth it," I said quietly.

How many times had I learned that very lesson? It wasn't something Grimm needed to deal with… It really wasn't.

She didn't answer, turning her head away from me completely now. Could she see me? Did she notice that I was being completely sincere? I wasn't sure if I wanted her to see it or not. Then I'd have to admit to some degree that I gave a crap about her.

Who was I kidding? It was getting to a ridiculous point. I'd bet if her parents woke up, they'd look over and be like "RAWR WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU ALL GOOEY FOR OUR DAUGHTER RAAAWR."

Well, maybe a bit less rawr. But still.

I sighed softly and glanced back towards Grimm. "But what do I know? I'm not supposed to be a good person. But you are. You're Sabrina Grimm," I said, not wanting her to be completely discouraged. "and your sister worships you. You're supposed to be a good role model to her. Don't you think it's kind of odd that the Prince of Juvenile Delinquents is teaching you right from wrong?" I chided. I wanted her to say something.

She remained silent, and I shifted, going completely still. One flick of my hand and it would be holding hers. Ack. Bad thoughts. The train-station-building-bunnies really needed to go catch fire.

Why couldn't Grimm see how her actions messed with the rest of us? Was she that self-centered?

Meh. Probably. She needed a rude awakening… Bad. And I knew it was coming soon, because she wouldn't be able to keep the weapon a secret for that long.

I hated how often I thought about Grimm—especially because my thoughts kept going back to the Grimm I'd never met. What had she been like at nine, before her parents had vanished and she'd become the big girl of the house? Had she been more like the Marshmallow, excited by little things and easily pleased? Maybe even a crybaby? Anything but a cynical little girl in shoes that were way too big?

I could still hear her breathing. She wasn't asleep, probably thinking about what I'd said. Or maybe wishing she could steal away to the bathroom and put her mother's lipstick on again. Ugh. Moth kissed my face once with that crap on. Sparkly lip gloss, she'd called it.

Lip gloss? Yeah RIGHT. Try sticky foundation of evil, spread through contact to smell like strawberries and butterflies (did butterflies have a scent?) with enough glitter to blind someone. I'd rolled around in the mud for about a week and the pixies STILL found glitter on my face.

I had to suppress an involuntary shudder at the memory. Happy thoughts, Puck. Happy thoughts.

Oddly enough, that just made me turn to look at Grimm again.

Sighing inwardly in defeat, I squinted in the dark, able to make out the sight of her face. Her eyes were still open, and her expression was troubled. Great. Now I felt guilty. Stupid freaking hormones and aging and all that girl-cootie voodoo.

"By the way," I said, keeping my voice soft so I didn't startle her. Didn't work. She jumped a bit. "You don't need the makeup."

I couldn't see her expression change much, but she did shift a few times. Then she turned to look at me, and my cheeks felt hot. Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid Grimm and her stupid face! When the Trickster King starts telling Sabrina Grimm she looks pretty, someone needs to intervene and smack him!

"I kinda wish I hadn't said that," I admitted out loud when she turned to look at me.

She bit her lip a little. "Me too."

Oh thank god.

"Would it help if I said you were a stinky, muck-covered toad-face?" I asked hopefully. Neither of us needed the complication. Maybe once the Scarlet Hand was blown up or something, I'd reconsider opening this topic again. For now, I needed us to go back to normal.

When she nodded and edged away from me, I turned and did the same. I immediately scowled silently. My panda (the one I had shooed away from the trampoline so we could sleep on it) was looking at us, and I swear that jerk's black and white face was mocking me.

He wiggled for a moment, then headed off to sleep again. Well, I hope he was heading off to sleep. If he went and told the chimps about what had just happening, I was going to have me some Chinese food.

…Are pandas even Chinese?

*****

A/N:

Sky: XD I don't actually know if Pandas are Chinese. But it felt like a fun thing to add. Anyway sorry for the short chapter, I just wanted to do that scene because I love it. And sorry I don't update this much, I'd much rather focus on No Matter What and the one-shots we're doing for our review-game-winners.

Speaking of, Reviews appreciated ^^ Thank you and luvvies!