Distraction
xoxoxoxoxox
Author's Note: Alrighty! This one's more of a one-shot than a drabble, but I've decided to store most of my little shipping shots in this batch. I've got to control myself better and stop stretching them to short stories like I've done before. XD
This has VERY SLIGHT Pennussell. Honestly, it's kinda cute, but I'm not much of a fan at all. I ship both Russell and Penny with different characters, but I my headcanon kinda favors the idea of Penny Ling having a slight crush on him when she first joined the group.
xoxoxoxoxox
She swung back and forth on her treasured tire swing, smiling cheerfully down at the busy hedgehog below. He looked up from his intense scanning of his ever-handy checklist. Usually, anyone who dared to break his concentration were in for either a lengthy lecture, or simply scowled at until they got the hint to leave him in peace. But not her. She was special. He returned her bright grin with one of his own. His green eyes seemed to light up as they met her twinkling blue pair.
Yes... she was clearly special. Anyone with working eyes could see it was true.
Penny Ling sighed glumly as she watched the pair from inside the small hollow of the red slide. It seemed she had started a tradition of hiding out in there whenever she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts, away from any prying eyes.
And now was definitely a time when she wanted to be alone.
Why was this happening? When did she get such feelings? She'd only been attending Littlest Pet Shop for a month or so and, somehow, the orange hedgehog had wriggled his way uncomfortably close to her heart. Yet it was clear that someone else had taken up the majority of his thoughts as well; made him give her that special smile, made it clear to anyone paying attention that he was absolutely smitten with her.
Yes, Russell Ferguson had it bad for Minka Mark, Penny Ling's good friend.
Oh dear. What should I do? Penny Ling thought to herself as she bit her lip nervously. What can I do? Should I even do anything...?
Should she fight for him and disrupt the innocent scene taking place just a few feet away? But what right did she have, truly? Russell and Minka had met and known each other before she ever made an appearance. Who knew how long they had been such good friends? More importantly, both of them were her friends; hurting Minka was the last thing she'd ever want to do, regardless of her own feelings. How would it feel to know one of your best friends moved in on someone you liked, way before you even knew her?
Besides, Russell had already made his choice. No words were needed. It wasn't necessary for Penny Ling to risk embarrassing herself and likely bursting out in tears. She was actually sort of... lucky, when she really thought about it. And who's to say her feelings couldn't, or wouldn't, fade, given time? Something told her she would get through this rather confusing stumbling block in her life. This crush of hers would never have to be revealed.
"Heya, Penny Ling! Whatcha doin' in here?"
Penny Ling jumped. How did she not notice the little gecko making his way up the slide!?
"Oh! Uh, hi Vinnie," she replied with a shy smile. "Sorry, you scared me a little."
"Aren't you always like that, though?" Vinnie replied teasingly. Penny Ling giggled; she knew he was referring to how scared and freaked-out she was on her first visit.
"Oh, ha ha. I wasn't that scared, was I? On my first day, I mean," Penny Ling asked him, moving over so he could sit next to her. A friend was a welcome intrusion right about now.
He shook his head, grinning. "Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. Besides, you're probably tougher than you look. Probably," he added with a teasing laugh.
Penny Ling folded her arms and gave him a mock warning glare. "Hey! Pandas are a lot tougher than you think, Vinnie Terrio."
"Yeah? Maybe you're right," Vinnie said with a wink. The girl beside him was taller and bigger than him, after all. "Can you blame me, though? You're so cute, you'd forget that."
Penny Ling froze. "I... Y-You think I'm cute?"
"Well, yeah! Don't you get called that all the time?" Vinnie shrugged, not noticing the soft blush lighting up friend's cheeks. "I mean, everyone thinks so."
Her heart skipped a beat, further confusing the flustered panda. Why did her cheeks heat up? Why was she so happy, all of a sudden? What in the world was going on? One minute she was brooding and sad, the next she felt like she could walk on air! Maybe she was sick...?
"T-Thanks..." Penny Ling looked down at her writhing, slightly sweaty paws. His words made her happy; he made her happy. It was so weird how Vinnie seemed to know just when she needed cheering up. "You're a lot sharper than anyone gives you credit for, Vinnie. You know that, don't you?" she said warmly, smiling down at him.
Now it was Vinnie's turn to blush. "Shucks. That's pretty cool of you to say. Most folks around here think I'm dumber than a rock," he admitted with a small sigh.
"Don't take it to heart," she replied, patting his shoulder fondly. "I think you're just great the way you are. Don't ever change."
Vinnie looked up at her, deep purple orbs meeting matching, lighter ones. He searched them for any sign of sarcasm, teasing, or general ridicule... and he saw none. All he wanted to do was make her feel better; he had picked up on her feelings for his friend, Russell. It wasn't exactly hard for anyone to see, himself included. But it was also equally obvious that ol' Rusty had eyes for their bubbly little monkey. Vinnie wanted to check up on Penny to be sure she didn't take it too hard, but it seemed she was coping just fine. It made him a little proud to see she was made of tougher stuff than he had originally thought.
But he wasn't expecting her to show so much appreciation towards him. Was it truly possible that Penny Ling meant what she said about him? All of these questions, thoughts that made his insides fill with little butterflies, were too foreign and new for him to entertain at the moment.
"Uh, h-hey! W-Want to watch something on that... uh... electric box-thingy... with the moving pictures?"
"The T.V.?" Penny Ling supplied helpfully.
"Yeah! That, ha ha," Vinnie replied eagerly. "I know you like dancing. There's this totally awesome show on there and I never miss an episode!"
"Sure! I'd love to," Penny Ling happily accepted, standing up and offering her hand to him. Vinnie took it and lead her out and down the slide. "I'd like that a lot."
xoxoxoxoxox
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I just really adore VinnieLing. Hope I can find the inspiration to write some more!
I have this little sketch I did of them somewhere in my storage, so maybe I'll share that sometime after I color it!
