Happy Winter Solstice and Merry Christmas!
Chapter Ten:
Pie grabbed the ringing phone and put it to his ear.
"Moshi-Moshi, Café Mew Mew," He said.
"Pie, where's my boyfriend?" Came the immediate response from Zakuro on the other line. "I tried calling his cellphone, but it went to voicemail."
"He must have turned it off," Pie said. "When he arrived at the dentist's office."
Zakuro muttered a curse word.
"I forgot he had a dentist appointment," She said.
Pie frowned at Zakuro's tone. She sounded nervous and upset. That was extremely unusual for her.
"Zakuro, is everything alright?" He asked.
Zakuro hesitated, but only for a second.
"No," She said. "Look, some strange man has been following me for the past thirty minutes. I keep trying to change my direction and lose him, but I can't. I ducked into a convenience store and he hasn't followed me in, but I can see him outside and I'm really scared."
Pie's frown deepened.
"Where are you?" He asked. "I am going to come get you."
Zakuro gave him the address.
"Thank you, Pie," She said, sounding thoroughly relieved.
Pie quickly put on his boots and jacket, explaining the situation to Rin and Keiichiro as he did so, both of whom were just as concerned about Zakuro as he was. Pie teleported straight from the Café's kitchen to the street, blending in perfectly with the people walking and focusing on their cellphones. Pie walked straight into the store and spotted Zakuro instantly. She was over near the counter, buying some sort of candy bar to make it appear as if it was what she entered the store for. She collected her change and turned to see Pie, looking relieved.
"Thank you so much," She said. Pie gave a nod in response.
"What is he wearing?" Pie asked, not even turning around to glance out the window.
"Green shirt. Ballcap. Blue jeans. Has a black bag." Zakuro said, also not glancing towards the window. Pie nodded again.
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"More than," Zakuro said.
"Good," Pie said. He then surprised Zakuro by wrapping his arm around her waist. At her confused look, he explained, "We are going to scare him off."
"By making him think I have a big, scary, protective boyfriend," Zakuro said, following Pie's train of thought. "Sounds good."
Pie nodded.
"Hopefully, that will prevent him from following you in the future. Are you ready?" He asked.
"As I'll ever be."
Zakuro had never felt so nervous before. This wasn't like the acting she was used to. Well, perhaps it was really more fear than nervousness. Either way, she pressed herself tightly to Pie. She wasn't paying attention to what was happening, just made sure she kept walking. Therefore, she missed Pie glancing over her head to the man and making direct eye contact with him. He rather enjoyed watching him squirm at that.
He then turned his eyes back to what was in front of him, scanning for a place to teleport as well as keep an eye on Zakuro, who was trembling some.
"Are you alright?" He asked in concern. "You are shaking."
"Just a bit tense," She muttered. "Nerves and such."
Pie frowned.
"When was the last time you ate?"
"A while. I've been on a set all day and when not on the set, getting changed or having my hair and make-up done. Not necessarily any chances to get a bite to eat in there."
"Low blood sugar and adrenaline. Not a good combination." Pie commented. "And quite possibly in need of something caffeinated as well."
"My morning latte wore off a long time ago." Zakuro admitted.
Pie glanced over his head real quick then said,
"I do not see him, but it might be wise to hide out for a little while to make sure we have lost him."
"And where do you suggest we do that?"
Pie gestured with his head to a nearby coffee-shop.
"We could just go to the Café for that," Zakuro pointed out.
"Ichigo is the only one who can make that blasted espresso machine of hers work."
"No, she's just the only one who can make good espresso drinks."
"That is exactly what I said."
Zakuro chuckled.
"Besides," Pie said. "My treat."
"Should have said that from the start."
In a corner of the coffee-shop, Zakuro actually started to relax, sipping at her dark-chocolate and pomegranate mocha and nibbling on her scone. While they were in line, Pie and Zakuro had each sent text messages. Pie's to Rin letting her know that everything was okay, and they would be back soon, while Zakuro's was to Ryou to apologize for all the missed calls and a promise to explain later that afternoon.
Though it was short, they both enjoyed their coffee and chatted together for a few minutes. Although their personalities were very similar, they sometimes clashed, but were good friends despite it and rarely got a chance to talk one-on-one together.
"So," Zakuro decided to ask. "How are those riddles going?"
Pie grimaced but didn't say anything.
"Not well then," Zakuro said in response.
"I just do not understand," Pie said, focusing on his muffin as he peeled off the wrapper. "Why me? Why do I have to be the one to solve the riddles? Why can we not work together as a team to solve it? That is how we find the elements. And why by the summer solstice?"
"I don't know," Zakuro said with a frown. "Maybe, even though you're the one who has to solve them, we can help you in some way."
"If you can find a way for them to make some sort of sense, I would be eternally grateful," Pie said.
"Which is the one that makes the least amount of sense?"
"Vernal's. 'Every candle lit in peace saves everything'. That sounds so deranged."
"Definitely very hippie-like," Zakuro said. Then she frowned. "She said it in English, too."
"Oh, was that the gibberish she was spouting? Or, more accurately, the other gibberish?"
"Okay, how does Kisshu, of all people, know English, but not you?"
"Zakuro, I know twenty different languages. I speak sixteen of those languages, and am completely fluent in fifteen of those languages. But for some reason English was not on the priority list. How Kisshu managed to learn the language is beyond me."
"I think she said it in English for a reason," Zakuro said after a moment of thought. "Used the two languages to give the same message."
She grabbed one of the paper napkins and reached into her purse for a pen. In English, she wrote out the riddle. When she was finished, she held it out to Pie.
"Maybe there is something hidden in the English version. An anagram or something."
Pie accepted the note and said,
"I hope you are right."
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"Oh my gosh, Zakuro, are you okay?" Mint asked with wide eyes when Zakuro got the rest of the team caught up on the drama from earlier.
"I'm completely fine," Zakuro said. "A bit shaken up, yes, but other than that, no harm done."
"Why didn't you drive today?" Jade asked.
"My car is in the shop," Zakuro said. "The check engine light came on last night and I dropped it off at the repair shop this morning. They said they'll have it fixed by tomorrow morning, though."
Everyone seemed reassured that the crisis was over, just a scare. As Zakuro had seemed to have moved on from the event, everyone did as well.
Well, almost everyone.
Zakuro was stopped by Ryou later that afternoon, who brought her into the hallway. Zakuro frowned as she studied her boyfriend's face. His expression was hard but his eyes were soft and she couldn't quite figure out what that meant.
"I'll drive you home, after you're done here," He said.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm having dinner with my agent and a designer whose outfits I'll be modeling in a show in a few days," Zakuro explained.
Ryou was quiet for a moment, then he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the key to his car, holding it out to her.
"Take my car, then."
"I was just going to take a cab there."
"You need a way to get home, and you shouldn't walk around after dark."
"I wasn't planning on walking home. I'd take a cab there, too. Don't worry."
"Just borrow my car until yours is fixed."
"It will be ready by morning. A cab is just as easy."
Zakuro got the sense that something was wrong as Ryou frowned. However, she didn't get a chance to figure it out because suddenly Ichigo—who had inadvertently heard most of the conversation with her cat hearing and being nearby—was suddenly at her elbow.
"Sorry, Ryou, I need to borrow Zakuro for a moment, it's a girl thing," Ichigo said as she dragged Zakuro into the locker room.
"Ichigo, what's wrong?" Zakuro asked, now more confused than ever.
"Don't get a cab," Ichigo said. "Borrow Ryou's car."
Zakuro frowned.
"What?" She asked. "Why? I've taken cabs from here before. I've walked home before. It's no big deal."
"Zakuro," Ichigo said seriously, looking her friend dead in the eye. "You always give me great advice when it comes to boyfriends. Please accept the advice I'm about to give you. Borrow Ryou's car."
Zakuro arched an eyebrow. Ichigo sighed then took a deep breath, saying:
"He feels guilty, Zakuro. That's why you should accept his offer."
"Guilty?" Zakuro repeated, feeling stunned. Why would Ryou have any reason to feel guilty?
"Yes, guilty. You called for him first, but he didn't get the calls or messages. He wasn't able to come and help you when you needed him." Ichigo said.
"That wasn't his fault." Zakuro said.
"No, it's not. But he still feels bad that someone else had to come to help you, that he didn't even know you were in trouble. The fact of the matter is, he can't go back and time and be there for you. So let him do something for you now."
Zakuro nodded, seeing Ichigo's point and now in hindsight understanding Ryou's motivation. She also wondered when Ichigo became so insightful.
"Thank you, Ichigo," She said. "I'll accept Ryou's offer."
"Don't do it right away, though," Ichigo warned. "Otherwise he'll know I talked you into it. Let him win."
Zakuro nodded again.
"I will," She said. "Thank you."
Ichigo smiled, then left the locker room, Zakuro on her heels.
Ichigo didn't stay to listen to the rest of Ryou and Zakuro's exchange, but did see her leave in Ryou's car that evening. She knew things were definitely a success based off of both Ryou and Zakuro's moods the following afternoon.
"We went out for lunch before picking up my car," Zakuro explained to Ichigo later as she thanked her again. "It was the first alone time we have had in a while. I think we both needed it more than we realized."
And so all drama was considered "over".
At least, it was over until the next afternoon.
"So, um, Zakuro? Ryou? How long, exactly, were you planning on keeping your relationship a secret from the media?" Lettuce asked nervously. She, Jade and Mint had just arrived from school, still dressed in their uniforms and Jade had a rolled up magazine in her hand.
"Why?" Ryou asked suspiciously, his brow furrowing.
"This is why," Jade said as she put the magazine on the table in front of Ryou and Zakuro, everyone else coming around to get a glimpse as well.
On the cover of the magazine was a picture of Zakuro from a recent show, with a caption that read: "The Secret Fujiwara Zakuro Has Been Keeping From The World: Her Boyfriend! Exclusive Never-Before-Seen Photos on Page 15!"
There was silence for a moment, eyes darting warily from the magazine to Ryou and Zakuro.
Zakuro's only reaction was to say solemnly: "I should probably have accepted those calls from my manager. And checked the texts she sent."
Ryou just shrugged and nodded.
"You're… not upset?" Homare asked hesitantly.
"We were bound to get caught sooner or later," Ryou said simply. "A reporter must have caught us yesterday, we weren't as careful as we thought we were."
"Yes, we would have liked to keep it a secret a bit longer, and have more control over when it was revealed, but we started our relationship knowing this could possibly happen," Zakuro said. "We can't change anything, so might as well accept it."
"This is weird, na no da," Pudding said thoughtfully, the now-open magazine in her hands. "Pudding has heard that cameras add ten pounds, but she didn't think they dyed hair, na no da."
"Um, what do you mean by that?" Masaya asked as everyone turned to look at Pudding.
"What Pudding means," Pudding said, twisting the magazine around so everyone could see. "Is that in this picture, Ryou Onii-Chan looks awfully like Pie Onii-Chan, na no da."
Sure enough, it wasn't Ryou's arm around Zakuro in the picture.
It was Pie.
Zakuro snatched the magazine out of Pudding's hands, her eyes wide.
"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no." Zakuro muttered over and over, the blood draining from her face. She looked up at Pie, almost apologetically. "The man who was following me the other day. Not just a random creepy fan. A reporter."
"In which case, instead of scaring him off, we gave him material for this story." Pie said with a frown.
Zakuro dropped the magazine on the table, falling into the nearest chair as she did so. She brought her palm to her forehead and groaned.
"I'm so stupid," She said.
"No, you're not," Ryou said.
"Yes, I am," Zakuro said. She glared at the magazine. "Over half of Tokyo has probably seen this by now. My manager certainly has."
"Uh, I think a lot more than half of Tokyo has seen this," Jade said, biting her lip as she swiped at the screen of her cellphone. "This is the hottest topic on several fan discussion forums and websites."
"Well, can't you and your manager just explain the situation?" Rirī suggested. "Not your boyfriend, just a friend? Get the magazine to retract the article?"
Zakuro paused for a moment and took a deep breath.
"You're right," She said. "That's what I need to do. I'm not thinking straight at all…"
"Considering the fact that you've had a rough couple of days, I think you get a free-pass on that," Rin said as Zakuro dug out her phone.
The phone-call did not go well on the Café Mew Mew end.
Zakuro allowed herself to be chastised for not answering the phone, then teased because apparently she was spending time with her not-so-secret boyfriend. Everyone watched as things proceeded to continue downhill, Zakuro hardly able to get in a word as her excited manager told her about the increased hype for her show in a few days, and how everything related to Zakuro was suddenly being bought up: posters, picture books, DVDs of the films and shows she had been in.
"Right now, everything you have ever touched has doubled, no, tripled in worth!" Zakuro's manager said happily as her client sat stunned. "You're a hot topic and everyone wants a piece! And of course everyone's dying to know more about your man! I've set up a press conference for tomorrow, but not decided time or place yet, but we definitely want him in so do what you must and call me back with the deets, darling!"
"And here I was hoping that she would be furious that the press slipped something past her," Zakuro said with a sigh as she hit the end-call button on her phone.
"Well, on the plus side, your net-worth has sky-rocketed." Keiichiro pointed out.
"Thank you, Keiichiro, for always looking for the bright side," Ryou said, rubbing his forehead.
"I get the feeling that even if you did make a statement about this, it's not going to go away," Kish said with a frown. "If nothing else, you're going to get followed around by more reporters trying to invade your privacy."
"And that would be really bad," Lettuce said, eyes suddenly going wide. "What if they come here? Not only would they know Zakuro worked here, but the Mew secret and everything could get exposed if reporters started nosing around."
"And they might follow Pie, too," Masaya added. "Especially if they wanted to prove or disprove Zakuro's statement. Find out if she's just lying or something. So, again, Café Mew Mew secret and, you know, the whole alien thing. Which is probably harder to explain than the Mew Mew secret."
"But how can this mess all get cleared up and reporters discouraged from coming around here?" Rōzu asked.
"I think I have an idea," Mint said. "Let everyone think that Zakuro and Pie are dating for a few more days."
Everyone turned to Mint with confused looks.
"Mint, I don't think you understand the problem here," Tart said.
"I do," Mint said. "Here's the plan, short and simple. Fake it for a few days, play all lovey-dovey, then have a loud, massive, public argument with lots of cameras around and break-up. Of course, the whole thing would be so tragic that Zakuro could never, ever speak of the relationship or Pie again at the risk of causing further pain to her heart. Make very public vows to never speak of the other again or so much as lay eyes on them."
"And… that'll make everything better how?" Jade asked.
"Everyone loves Zakuro. They'll oblige to her request because she is a beloved celebrity. And Pie's just a nobody so no one will care about him, though he might get mean looks for breaking the heart of Fujiwara Zakuro, but I think that's a risk that can be taken."
"Should I feel insulted or indignant?" Pie asked dully with narrowed eyes.
"It's perfect!" Ichigo suddenly exclaimed. "And we're going to make sure no reporter comes by here looking for Zakuro, ever!"
"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Rirī asked.
"We invite them in!" Ichigo said excitedly. "Zakuro's manager has already said that she picks the time and place for this interview thing. So, why not here, tomorrow afternoon? Plus, the Café is the scene for the cover back-story!"
"Okay, I'll bite, what is this back-story that you've concocted?" Ryou asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"It's kind of this incredibly sappy coffee-shop Alternate Universe thing, a meet-cute." Ichigo said dramatically. "World-renowned model and actress Fujiwara Zakuro decides to pay a visit to Café Mew Mew after hearing all the raved reviews. She frequently dines in the posh, private tea room on the second floor, but she doesn't come by only for the tea and cakes. She visits because this is where she met her heart's desire, her true love, a waiter here at this very Café. She comes both for the sweets and for her sweetheart!"
"Ichigo, have you been reading sappy fanfiction again?" Masaya asked.
"Yes." Ichigo admitted. "It's good for the soul. Now shut up."
"This is a great plan, and great story," Rin said. "But there's one problem. We don't have a posh, private upstairs tea room."
"Not yet!" Ichigo said with a mischievous grin. She quickly ran down the hall to the locker room and came back with a rolled up piece of paper, which she spread out on the table.
"Okay, so it's not perfect, but I made up a floor plan slash design to make something like a tea room on the upper floor," Ichigo said. "I've already calculated how much paint and stuff would be needed, the only thing I'm not sure about is how the prices of these items have changed. It's been a year or two since I made this."
"Wait a second," Ryou said with a frown as he studied the designs, turning to glare at Ichigo. "Is this my room?"
Ichigo was quiet for a moment, then said,
"Yes."
"Why were you planning on remodeling my room?"
Ichigo was quiet for another moment, then said,
"Well, see, I was really pissed off with you one day and basically came up with a revenge slash retaliation prank. But after I drew all this up and before I could act on it, a Chimera showed up so by the time it was destroyed, I wasn't angry. Used up all my rage on it. But I kind of liked it, so I kept it around just in case just in case I got mad at you enough to warrant this kind of vengeance one day."
"Good to know," Ryou said sarcastically.
Pie and Zakuro looked at each other.
"I can think of no alternative solution." He said.
"Neither can I." She admitted. "But I'll only agree to it if you do."
Pie simply nodded his approval.
"I now pronounce you fake-dating, na no da!" Pudding yelled, throwing handfuls of uncooked rice into the air, showering everyone and the floor.
"Ugh, Pudding!" Mint griped as she tried to shield her head. "Where did you even get that?"
"Yeah, we're out of rice." Rin said, knocking the rice out of her hair. "What, were you just carrying around two handfuls of uncooked rice at random?"
"Pudding's arsenal of unusual objects can be evaluated and cataloged later." Ichigo said, grabbing up her floor plan. "We've got work to do!"
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"I can't believe we did this in one afternoon!" Homare said.
"I can't believe we still came out under-budget." Masaya said.
"I can't believe this used to be my room." Ryou said irritably.
"We can un-do all this once this whole mess is over." Rirī suggested.
"Oh, no, we won't. We put way too much blood, sweat and tears into this." Ichigo said. "Plus, it looks fabulous. And now we can host private parties!"
The room formerly claimed as Ryou's did, indeed, look fabulous—if very pink—and even he could admit it. Granted, he wasn't really too upset over the loss. He had been living in the Café for five years and never did bother to really make the space his own by decorating. It was more functional than anything else. Plus, he kind of like his new living situation, in the other half of Keiichiro's room. It was decidedly less lonely, which was one of the reasons why he did try to avoid his own room at all costs, often sleeping on a cot in the basement.
Besides, he thought, glancing over at Zakuro who was the only one not currently wearing a waitress uniform. Hopefully, it was all for a good cause.
Besides, as much as he was a scientist, he was a businessman. He saw the same opportunities Ichigo did.
Though had to admit she probably saw more than he did.
"Okay, but will this really work?" Tart asked skeptically.
"We can hope." Shinji said. "Besides, this may be exactly what needs to happen and it's a fairly believable story."
"Yeah, people date all the time and it doesn't work out." Jade said. "So, again, believable. And besides, everyone can tell that Pie and Zakuro don't click. Like at all. At least not in the dating-romantic relationship kind of way."
"Not wrong there." Zakuro said with a nod. "Besides, I've always thought that, if I were a Cyniclon, I would probably look just as much like Pie's twin as Rin does."
"Mmm, maybe even more so." Rin said thoughtfully, eyes going back and forth between her brother and her friend.
"So are we essentially proving why we would never work in a relationship?" Pie asked Zakuro.
"Give or take the amount of acting and theatrics, yes." Zakuro said with a nod.
"Maybe it could work, na no da." Pudding said suddenly, tilting her head and staring at the wall. "But only in an alternate universe where everything's the same, we're still Mew Mews and we still fought against aliens but we have these really weird American names and everyone gets a weird-sounding voice—especially Kish Onii-Chan for some reason and he especially a weird, kind of creepy high-pitched laugh and always makes borderline inappropriate comments but oddly enough he sounds almost like Keiichiro Onii-Chan. And we don't even have half of our original personalities and a total erasure of Japanese culture. And, for some reason, Masaya only gets half a name. No surname for some weird reason. Just forever Mark. But nothing ever gets resolved because there was never a second season, so we're always just fighting each other using bad puns. But the soundtrack is awesome, na no da."
Everyone turned to stare at Pudding.
"That… was oddly specific…" Homare said warily.
"Pudding. Can you not?" Ryou asked with an exasperated sigh.
"Can Pudding not what, na no da?" Pudding asked innocently, turning to Ryou with big eyes.
"The fourth wall, remember? You're not supposed to know of things beyond the fourth wall." Ryou said irritably.
"Oh, right. Sorry, na no da!" Pudding said.
"Okay… Let's pretend that didn't happen and go get ready to open." Ichigo said.
After that, everything went according to plan. But like most of the Tokyo Defenders plans, it only went somewhat according to plan.
The photographers arrived. Cupcakes were served. Lies were told.
Except, there was something wrong, and Mint and Ichigo quickly saw that this may have been the only thing they hadn't thought through with their plan.
The problem was a quiet Lettuce who seemed very sad. Both knew instantly that this was their fault. Zakuro and Pie agreed to the plan. The pretend-dating scheme didn't bother Ryou. But while Lettuce hadn't said she wasn't okay with the plan, she hadn't said she was either.
"Lettuce?" Ichigo said quietly as she and Mint approached their friend, who was focusing intently on scrubbing a plate, avoiding the crowds both upstairs and downstairs. "We need to apologize."
"For what?" Lettuce asked, looking up.
"For being horrible friends." Mint said. "You're not happy and it's our fault. Well, our plan's fault."
"I'm not angry." Lettuce said quickly, turning back to face the water. "And so far it's working. That's good. Nothing to be angry about.
"No, you're not angry, but you are sad." Ichigo said.
"I'm not sad. Everything will be fine and back to normal soon and then we can all just laugh at this." Lettuce mumbled.
"Lettuce…" Mint said, then took a deep breath. "We didn't consider your feelings on this and we apologize for the oversight. We should have gotten your full approval before we jumped right in."
Lettuce was quiet, and Ichigo came up beside her, wrapping her arms around her.
"Pie's your boyfriend. You love him and he loves you. And even though you know it's just pretend, you can still be jealous."
"That's being selfish," Lettuce said, swallowing.
"No, it's not." Mint argued, coming up to Lettuce's other side to hug her as well. "Lettuce, it's okay, we're your friends. Talk to us. Maybe we can do something."
"I think it is a little late for that." Lettuce said, quickly extracting herself from the arms of her two friends, quickly exiting the kitchen, leaving the doors swinging behind her.
"We can't blame her for that." Ichigo said in the quiet that followed. "This is our fault. We screwed up."
"Do you think, perhaps, she will talk to me?"
The two turned to see Pie standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"You escaped." Mint commented. Pie frowned.
"It was not easy." He said. "Well? Do you believe Lettuce will speak to me about what is troubling her?"
Mint and Ichigo exchanged a glance before nodding together.
"I think so." Ichigo said. "If nothing else, it's worth a try."
Pie nodded and then left the kitchen, trying to determine where Lettuce went. He found her just outside the door, just in time before she entered. He quickly said her name to get her attention, making her freeze and turn to him as he approached.
"Pie? What's wrong?" Lettuce asked.
"I believe that is the question I have for you." Pie said. Lettuce looked down at the floor, quiet. Pie reached out and took her hand. "Lettuce, please talk to me."
"It doesn't matter." Lettuce said. "You can't fix anything."
"It does matter. And even if I am unable to fix what is wrong in the past or present, I can affect the future." Pie pointed out.
Lettuce sighed, mostly in frustration.
"I agree that this was the best plan of action we have, hopefully with results that are good for everybody. I know it's all fake, acting. So I'm mad with myself that I'm jealous, because it is so petty and selfish to be jealous."
"Why?" Pie asked, frowning some.
"Why am I jealous?" Lettuce asked.
"Why is it petty and selfish?"
Lettuce squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears as she said,
"I hate it! I can't stand it when Topaz flirts with you and even though you don't even respond to her at all, I get… I don't know, territorial or something. It's like this mixture of anger and sadness and jealousy. And I don't want to feel all that. I don't want to be that. I don't want to be that type of person, that type of girlfriend. And the Sues from last week definitely did not help at all with handling any of that. And so even though I know that you and Zakuro are just pretending, even when I know the truth, it's making me feel that territorial feeling even stronger because now you're actually responding to it and I'm bitter and envious and I just want to spend time with you and…"
She cut herself off, she was crying so hard. Pie gently pulled Lettuce to him, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head.
"I am sorry." He whispered.
"I told you so." Lettuce mumbled into his chest. "You can't fix this."
"No. I cannot." Pie admitted. "But I am glad that you told me all this. And I am sorry for any part I have in this."
"You don't," Lettuce mumbled, face still pressed against Pie.
"I do. This is not something that has just happened over the past twenty-four hours. I am sorry I did not notice it before, or if I did not make you feel comfortable to bring this forward before."
"I didn't know how." Lettuce said, lifting her face finally, sniffling some as she rubbed her eye underneath her glasses. "And… I was afraid, mostly of myself and my emotions, but also because I thought it confirmed another fear."
"What fear?" Pie asked, quickly brushing away the last bit of a tear on her cheek. Lettuce bit her lip and glanced down at her feet again.
"Pie, I never, ever thought I would get a boyfriend. Or that I'd ever find anyone who loved me enough to even discuss a long-term relationship. Or find anyone that loved me at all. So when I did, I found it too good to be true. So I still have this fear that someone better, someone prettier and smarter and just better than me is going to come along and you'd fall in love with them." Lettuce said. She sounded like she was trying to stop herself from crying further. "And… And I was scared that if I did act possessive, you would stop loving me."
"Never." Pie promised. "But I think that, in this case, being territorial is neither petty nor selfish."
"Still." Lettuce said quietly. "I'd rather not be jealous."
Pie leaned down and kissed the top of her head again.
"I know it might not be a perfect solution, but I have an idea that might lessen the problem, and make us both happier about the current situation, if only temporary." He said.
"What's that?" Lettuce asked, looking up at him curiously.
"After we have closed, how about we go to your apartment—quieter than here and much more private. We could watch a movie, or read, or anything." Pie said. He leaned down and gently kissed Lettuce on the lips. He smiled some as he drew back, noticing the small, shy smile on Lettuce's face, and the accompanying blush. "Anything to bring that smile back."
Lettuce's blush deepened as her smile grew larger.
"It's a date, then." She said.
Pie hugged Lettuce to him again, kissing her hair repeatedly, both enjoying the private moment and looking forward to more in very short time.
However, what they were not aware of was that their moment wasn't as private as they thought.
So, yes, probably a little more unnecessary drama, but I thought this could get fun if I ran with it. So far, it is. And, yes, Pudding is alluding to Mew Mew Power.