Just Deserts

"What did you think you were-a doin' to ma restaurante, ah?!" Al raged at the line of Manhattan/Hattanshire-ers.

They were all kerfuffled in some way or another and lined up like they were in the principal's office in school, in trouble for starting a food fight. Angell and Flack had bits of food on and in them everywhere. Her chocolate brown locks were ridden with food and her tiara of authority was no longer at her hair line, slightly hidden under her side bangs, but now disheveling her look by sliding around. His short dark hair had bits of various meals in it. Lindsay and Danny had a few pieces of stray food on them, though what really stood out on them were the bruises and scrapes. Lindsay had only a little bump on her forehead while Danny's entire left cheek was slightly purple and swollen to the point he couldn't speak properly, if at all. His glasses were also bent. Mac had black smudges mixed with foam in various places on him while his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. Stella's curls were laden haphazardly around her face having fallen out of the bun a while ago and her dress had various splotches of color on it, presumably food.

"In our defense, if you had just given us the steaks for free, like-"

"Don't-a start with me!" Al pointed to Angell's face.

"Look, why don't you just give us our steaks, we'll eat them, and be on our way?" Stella suggested in a light tone, appealing to the man's inner pervert with her breath filled words.

"Okay, mia-Stella, for you." He patted her hand gently.

"Um...right...thanks." She turned around, a clear look of disgust on her face, no doubt because of him. She shot back beside Mac, or rather, slightly behind him. He held his arm out protectively for her.

"Two steaks for you, both pepper marinade." He smiled.

"Thanks for nothin." Flack scowled, taking them and guiding Angell away, carefully avoiding her wings.

"You're welcome. You two, farm raised beef steaks with our famous sweet marinade that's usually for pork-"

"Morty!" Lindsay burst scaring everyone. She grabbed the closest thing to her-in this case, a tin pitcher for whine-and clunked Al on the head with a solid clank. "Oh my poor Morty, bless his muddy soul."

"Geez...I don't think he's gonna wake up from that." Stella and even the rest of them all looked down at the unconscious cook.

"Don't worry, Morty, I will never stop fighting for your revenge!" Lindsay cried dramatically as Danny guided her away, her arm still in the air as a declaration of her new found passion for righteousness.

"Um...I don't know what that was." Mac dead panned.

"Hey!" Stella piped. "Here are ours!"

"Oh, these look pretty good." Mac smiled.

Stella sniffed them and smiled brightly, showing her perfect pearly white teeth. "Ooh! Citrus marinade!"

"Come on, let's..." Mac looked down at the unconscious Alphonse. "Eat these in peace."

"Hey Flack?" Angell asked, swallowing a chunk of steak.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Stella likes Mac?" She asked him with a slight frown.

"She's crazy 'bout him, why?" He asked as a frown came to his face as well. Her normal smile had disappeared completely.

"I don't want either of them to get hurt, you know?" She asked with worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I know, but I think those two are bound to realize sooner or later that they're madly in love." Flack sighed. He hated to admit it, but as much as he liked bugging her by being overprotective he could see how the sparks flew when their eyes met. They'd only known each other-been friends-for a short time, but he could see the goddamned chemistry between the two lovebirds. "Gross."

"It is not gross, Donald Flack!" Angell scolded. "I think it's wonderful those two have found people who make them happy...whom in this case happen to be each other."

"Yeah, yeah, so long as they don't elope here in Manhattan and start havin' a million little Stella-Mac babies." He grumbled.

"Don!" Jess punched him on the arm, neither too lightly nor too hard, and leaned in. "That is so not cool!"

"Oh come on, they're probably sneaking off to make out as we speak!" He said in his defense. "Well speak of the devils."

"What?" Asked Jess.

"What'd I tell you?" He smirked, pointing to where Mac and Stella were slinking off to the stair case that lead to the roof.

"Oh, leave them alone, they're just going to talk about science and other boring stuff like that."

"You think Flack and Angell will ever realize what they have?" Stella asked Mac as they sat on the cold stone of the restaurant's roof.

"Maybe, but chances are they're too stubborn to admit anything just yet." He chuckled, swinging his legs over the edge.

"Yeah, I think they're in love, they just don't know it yet." She concurred, swinging her legs over as well and sitting next to him.

"What about Danny and Lindsay? I've known those two almost my whole life, but Danny's liked her for a while." Mac blinked. "But then he always screws it up when he calls her Montana."

"Yeah, she told Angell and I about that. I think they're adorable."

"Achoo!" Lindsay sneezed suddenly.

"Bleshu." Danny mumbled.

"What?" She frowned. She made on 'O' shape with her mouth as he simply pointed to his purple and swollen cheek. "Does it hurt?"

He nodded, closing his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry Danny." She was about to touch his good cheek when... "Achoo! Goodness, maybe someone's talking about me."

"How's your steak, Stell?" Mac asked after a comfortable silence.

"It's good, thanks, how's yours?" She asked in return with a smile.

"Pretty good, but I think it could use something...more." Instead of asking if she knew what he meant he simply turned to her and asked her eyes to meet his. They locked and he knew she did.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's missing...something." She agreed, looking at it while tilting her head like a bird.

"I'll have to try making it back in Hattanshire." He smiled.

"I'd try that." She nodded.

"I'll hold you to that." He pointed playfully.

"Mac, I-" Stella lost her train of thought as their eyes met again. Peridots met oceanic orbs as the storm began to brew. Her curls blew around her face in the gentle but chilly breeze, making her shiver. Well...it was half from that and half from the intensity of Mac's look. It made her think of things ladies were supposed to never think of in their day and age; marriage, a baby, or babies, a nice house and garden...oh dear lord, she had it bad. He was a Prince and she was...not a princess.

"Yes?"

"Hm?"

"You...were you going to say something? You just kind of..."

"Oh, sorry, I...I, um...I don't know. Was I?"

"I'm not sure."

Another silence settled in as the two sat unable to tear their eyes off of each other. Mac's eyes were glued to her dimly lit face and the honey-burnt curls that danced around her shoulders. Stella was entranced by his hurricane-intense yet gentle blue eyes and strongly handsome face. Neither of them could recall what they were doing.

"What were we talking about?"

"Hm...my flirty sense is tingling." Flack frowned.

"Excuse me?" Angell frowned, furrowing her brows.

"Something tells me Mac and Stella are off somewhere they think we won't find them and are flirting with each other." He elaborated.

"Okay...you can play psychic if you want, I wanna finish my dinner." She shook her head, reaching for another bite.

"Come on, Jess!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged her up and out of their booth, rushing to the door. "To the Flackmobile!"

"The what-now?"

"Where are you guys going?" Lindsay called.

"You guys come too!" Flack shouted to them.

"Where?!"

"To the Flackmobile!" He waved, signaling them to follow him, which they did. "Awaaaaaaaaay!"

"What were we talking about a second ago?" Mac squinted.

"I don't really remember." She squinted as well.

"Stella."

"Mac."

The two felt the magnetic pull between them intensify as they began to lean forward, lips almost touching when they heard a screech.

"Cheez on rye, Flack, slow down!" Angell's voice shouted.

"Where are they?!" He asked back, rounding another corner.

"I don't know, but running down everyone in Manhattan won't help us to find them." She huffed pointedly, gripping her seat.

"You guys okay back there?" Flack asked Danny and Lindsay.

They didn't answer, seeing as how they were both hugging each other for dear life.

"Don, how did you even get this thing?!" Jess demanded, completely in the dark as to how he'd get the Flackmobile, which was actually just a police car but painted black and sleeker.

"What the-?!" Mac and Stella leaned over slightly to see a black car speed through the streets of Manhattan, disrupting the usual manner people walked/floated/flied around as they pleased. "Oh no."

"I told Stella to stay away from him! I am gonna give that li'l lady quite a talking to when we go home!" He huffed.

"You sound like an overprotective father." Angell rolled her eyes. "What do you really think they're doing, Don?"

"When I find those two I'm gonna..." Flack growled.

"What, Flack? You gonna beat up Mac?" Angell asked flatly.

"I could take him." Flack shrugged.

"Not if Stella takes his side, which she would, and joins in the fight." Jess laughed, imagining Flack and Mac in a fist fight while Stella jumped on Flack's back. "Oh, that would be enjoyable."

"I feel like I'm lookin' for disobedient teenagers." He grumbled.

"Well, we're thousands of years older than them, so technically..."

"Don't make me punish you too."