Author's note: Sorry. I had to do it. I just couldn't resist. I thought I'd change things up a bit, and write my note slightly differently…
Cyclonis: I have brownies, people! *pulls out batch of delicious, steaming brownies*
Me: What in the world are you doing?
Cyclonis: You promised your reviewers brownies! I thought I might bring them.
Me: Well, thank you to Pascy, Nezy, Love Shall Never Die, Hawk-Masters, and Yumi-temme for reviewing as always, but really, I know I would be so freaked out if you came and gave me brownies. I mean, you are the evil ruler of Cyclonia and all.
Cyclonis: *smiles* I still make the best brownies in the Atmos! *passes brownies around* Oh, and Love Shall Never Die, you get a second brownie for being my 100th reviewer!
Me: Shouldn't you be giving away and imaginary iPod or something?
Finn: Oops, was I not supposed to take that?
Me: …
Dark Ace: Brownies! I want a brownie! *awkward pause* Please!
Me: Brownies are only for reviewers.
Cyclonis: Oh, have a heart. *hands Dark Ace a brownie*
Me: You are so in love, Miss Snugglebunny.
Cyclonis: *glares* No brownies for you!
Me: I do not own the Storm Hawks, now let's start the story!
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Ten minutes later, everyone sat in the bridge, full and content, but not quite sleepy yet. Junko, Stork, and Starling sat in the three armchairs. Piper, Aerrow, and Finn were on the larger couch while Cyclonis and Dark Ace shared the smaller one. As it had recently become the norm, Cyclonis was on Dark Ace's lap, curled up like a small feline.
"I'm bored." Finn usually was the first to admit the need to keep themselves amused.
"I know, we can finish watching that home movie I made! The six hours of me sleeping!" Junko suggested hopefully.
Finn groaned. "Junko, we're already bored," he explained. "Let's do something exciting, funny…what about, Truth or Dare?"
Aerrow groaned. "We already know practically everything about each other, and last time someone picked 'Dare' we had to rescue you from the Wastelands, Finn!"
Piper, for once, seemed to agree with Finn. "We've got three guests, so that should spice things up a little. Anyway, it sounds fun!" Stork shook his head while the rest nodded.
"You can just watch if you want, Stork," Aerrow said kindly. Stork had yet to engage in one of their games of Truth or Dare, and for good reason.
Aerrow stood. "I'll go first," he said. "Truth."
"Do you love me?" Piper blurted out.
"Easy!" Aerrow laughed back. "Of course!"
Piper blushed. "My turn, I'll go with Dare."
Cyclonis whispered something into Dark Ace's ear and handed him two small stones. "Dare: combine these two crystals," he sneered.
Piper looked at the stones he handed to her. "A Slimer and an Explosion Crystal. Really?" Cyclonis was up and wheeling the combining machine from Piper's room. Piper groaned. She carefully put the two in, closed up the latch, and hit the red button.
The machine whirled, then "Ding"-ed softly. Surprised, Piper turned to see Cyclonis wielding another crystal, focusing its energy to stabilize the new Slime-bomb. Piper carefully opened the machine and took it out, eyes wide.
"I'll take that," Dark Ace said, snatching it from her. "It was my dare, after all." Piper huffily took her machine back as Dark Ace and Cyclonis returned to their previous position on the couch.
"Truth or Dare?" Starling asked Dark Ace.
"I think I'll go with 'truth.'" Dark Ace replied. He found this game immature and tiring; with 'truth,' he could always just lie.
"Piper has mentioned 'Cyclonian Snugglebunnies,' a couple times, and then there was those pajamas…could you explain to me whatever secret meaning that phrase holds for the three of you?"
"If Piper has a fetish for bunnies, you should ask her about it, not me," Dark Ace replied coolly. "However, I do believe she was referring to the sleeping arrangements. Not all of us were lucky enough to get a room to ourselves, you know." Cyclonis blushed, happy that he stopped there.
Starling stood. "Now it's my turn, right?" she groaned. "Dare."
Junko stood up, smiling. "Well, I dare you to proclaim over the intercom that you think Finn's music rocks!" Finn gaped.
Starling huffily walked over to the Condor's intercom. "I, Starling of the Interceptors, officially proclaim that I think Finn's music rocks."
Unfortunately for Starling, the modifications Cyclonis made with her crystal over Terra Yorkia were still in place. Her declaration echoed for miles around the Condor. Starling glared.
"Sorry!" Junko winced. "I'll go with 'Truth' this time."
Aerrow stood up. "What's your deepest, darkest secret?" he asked.
Junko turned a bright red. "Um, well, don't tell anyone, but, um, I still sleep with my teddy bear. But only because he would get lonely and I didn't want him to feel left out!"
The Storm Hawks giggled.
"Umm," Aerrow began, "Cyclonis and Finn are left. Which one of you wants to go first?"
Cyclonis raised her eyebrow. "Might as well be me. Get it over with." She though about her options. Dare: they could make her do anything, and she didn't want them to have that control. Truth: giving them the truth meant giving them knowledge, and knowledge was power. She didn't like surrendering that power.
What if they asked a question that she didn't know the answer to, like how she felt about the Storm Hawks? What if they asked what she planned to do when this was over? She wasn't ready to face those questions, so she chose the easy way out.
"Dare."
Finn smiled in his annoying way. He took his time, letting her squirm for a while, then gave the sentence: "Kiss someone else in this room."
Cyclonis's face went blank as if she had flipped a switch. She sat up straighter. "Well, not you, no way after giving me that dare." He shrugged. He liked girls, but Cyclonis was way too scary for him.
Cyclonis decided to work her way around the room, embarrassing as many people as possible before choosing. She turned to where Aerrow and Piper were sitting.
"Let's see, Aerrow. Now you…you're slightly cute, I admit, but I don't kiss Sky Knights. Plus, I'm Piper's friend, I wouldn't do that to her." Piper flashed Cyclonis a huge grin and Aerrow blushed.
"Now, Stork—"
"Do you have any idea how much bacteria is in your mouth? I—"
"I don't cross-species kiss," she said haughtily, cutting him off. "Same goes for you, Junko and Radarr. That leaves Starling."
Starling turned to Finn to glare at him.
"Starling, I'm sure you're nice and all, but you're a girl." She glanced around once more. She had gotten everyone in the room. "So who do you want me to kiss, Finn? Huh?"
"There's always me."
The Dark Ace. Whose lap she was sitting on, so of course she missed him when she looked around the room. She felt the blood rush to her face.
Piper was smiling. "Come on!" she urged. "You already snuggle. Most people go through the kissing stage of their relationship first!"
Cyclonis gave her a look, before turning to gaze at her servant. He was grinning lazily down at her.
Was he laughing at her humiliation? Or could he possibly feel the same way about her? Master Cyclonis had read many books, and she was pretty sure that all the romantic ones that she had liked when she was ten had called this 'falling in love.'
The Dark Ace was never out of her mind.
Finally, she summoned up her courage and gave him a quick peck on the lips before ducking back down, blushing furiously. Everyone laughed at the spectacle.
"I wouldn't call that a real kiss." The Dark Ace's voice was dangerously soft. His hand reached under her chin, gently turning her back, bringing her face closer to his. Their lips were nearly touching.
"A real kiss is more like this."
He leaned down, closing the last couple of centimeters, covering her mouth with his. For a second her eyes were closed and she started to kiss back, then they jerked open and she pushed them away, panting.
They sat like that together for a few seconds. No one was sure how Cyclonis was going to react.
"Finn?" Her voice was completely devoid of all emotions. There was no expression on her face; it only made her even more scary. "Truth or Dare?"
"How do you do that?" Finn whispered in awe. "Control your emotions like that. I thought you were going to kill someone, probably me."
Cyclonis looked slightly sad. "The Cyclonian Empress Training Program," she replied. "Tuition: your childhood. And as for revenge, you will get it. Truth or Dare?"
For some reason, Finn was glancing nervously at Starling. "Tru—" Cyclonis's evil grin widened. "Dare! Dare! Dare! I mean dare!"
Cyclonis tossed him a crystal. "It's a three hour long music track. The next three hours you listen to your iPod, play this one." Finn laughed.
"Music? Is there some sort of catch here?"
"Only that it's a compilation of all of Ravess's symphonies."
Finn looked like he was going to barf. "Remind me never to get Cyclonis pissed at me again," he said miserably.
Cyclonis stood. "Now, I'm going to my room," she said shortly. "I wish to be alone."
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Me: Haha, don't you wish you gave me brownies now.
Cyclonis: *shrugs* You probably would have done that to me anyway.
Me: Yep, I'm an evil author! Hey, wait a second, you don't seem to mind that much. Ooh, someone's in looooooove!
Cyclonis: Shut. Up.
Me: Review!