(Candy's POV)

'Ha-cha-cha,' Candy chuckled to himself as he watched his new neighbours from his living-room window. The teenager felt luckier than a four-leaf clover. Two beautiful teenage kids, identical twins from the look of it, were moving right next door (with their parents, of course). And Candy knew for a fact that he'd be able to see directly into the bedroom window directly across from his own. It was one of the two smaller bedrooms, so there'd be a pretty girl or two changing only a few feet away from him. If he played his cards right, he might be able to score himself a girlfriend.

***

'Candy, I want you to take this cheese casserole over to the new neighbours and welcome them to the block.'

'Anything you desire, mother,' the lanky teenager answered, swiping the dish from her hands and heading toward the door.

***

Approaching the fence separating their two houses, Candy balanced the casserole in one hand as he unlatched the gate. He didn't expect to be nearly run over by a large, mustard-colored dog the minute he attempted to step through the opening.

'Good dog, nice dog. I'm not a burglar,' the kid yelped, side-stepping to avoid the growling canine.

'Pluto! Bad dog. Leave him alone,' a high pitched voice cried out, drawing Candy's attention to the shorter kid racing out into the yard and grabbing the dog quickly by the collar. The teenager gripped the casserole dish tightly as he let his eyes wander the girl's petite body. Yellow runners, red leggings that hugged her curvy rear, and a black t-shirt that was slipping to one side to give him a teasing glance of her dark-furred shoulder. Candy knew he was in love the moment she smiled up at him, her ebony eyes sparkling with amusement.

'Uh, I'm Mort... I mean, I'm your next-door neighbor, Candy,' the gangly youth stuttered, holding out the casserole.

'I'm Tommy. Tommy kid. My family just moved to town,' the petite rodent answered, taking the dish from his hands.

Yeah, I know. I saw you arrive. You have a twin sister, right?' Candy commented, rubbing the back of his neck to hold off a blush at the girl's undivided attention.

'Yep. Annika kid. We're fraternal twins. Actually, she's older than me by a whole minute and never let's me forget it,' Tommy told him.

'I'm an only child, so I really don't know what it's like to have a sibling,' Candy glanced over the girl's shoulder to see the front door open again, revealing his neighbour's twin sister. Tommy was clearly the tomboy of the pair.

Annika slipped down the stairs in her blue dress and matching bow, coming to a stop next to her sibling. 'Mom says it's time for dinner. Oh, and I already picked my room, so you get the smaller one. That's what you get for playing with the dog instead of unpacking.'

Candy raised an eyebrow at the older twin, but was inwardly surprised that Tommy didn't even try to argue the point. The tomboy simply rose to her feet and patted her dog on the head as she listened to her sister's announcement.

'Annika, this is Candy. He lives next door,' Tommy finally interjected, drawing the other girl's attention to the taller kid.

The lanky teenager held back a wince at the feminine twin's invasive stare. She was clearly looking him over as potential dating material, and Mort didn't like the dismissive turn of her lips that was clearly directed at him.

'Annika, be nice,' the younger twin warned, frowning at her sister.

'He's not my type, so he's all yours, little brother. I'm going inside for dinner,' Annika stated, flouncing back up the stairs and into the house.

Candy found himself too shocked at the girl's words to even acknowledge that she'd refused to date him without even getting to know him first. Turning to the red-clad twin, he blurted out the first words that came to his head. 'You're a boy?'

'Here we go again, Pluto. Yes, I'm a boy. So, wanna be friends,' Tommy's frown turned to a smile as he held his hand out to the taller kid.

'Well I... don't see why not,' Candy answered, taking the younger rodent's hand.

'Good. I can't wait to get to know you better, especially since we're going to be neighbours. And don't worry about my sister, she's nicer than she acts. Mom says it's a phase she's going through. Girl hormones, or something like that. Well, I'd better get inside. Talk to you later, Candy!'

Candy watched the attractive kid boy wave at him as he walked across the yard and entered his new house with the dog following at his heels. Finally alone again, the teenager trudged back through the gate and into the house. Once he got to his room, he flopped down onto the bed with a groan.

'Figures. The one girl who actually likes me right off the bat, turns out to be a GUY. A cute guy, but still a guy. Life isn't fair.'

'Annika!' a high pitched voice echoed the single-floor house.

'Stop shouting, Tommy. You owe me a favor and I'm collecting,' the older twin announced, ruffling through her makeup case.

'I still don't see why you can't just go on a date with Candy. It's not like you agreed to marry him or anything,' the boy stated, frowning at his dolled-up reflection in the mirror. His sister had somehow gotten him into one of her best dresses. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't her favorite color. Rather than blue or purple, like most of her clothes, it was a stunning shade of red with black polka dots. The girl had even attached a matching crimson bow to his ear. Frankly, it made Tommy feel like he was going to the prom rather than just out to dinner and a movie.

'Candy is a womanizing sleaze-ball. I only said yes, because I thought it would get him off my case. Besides, I already have a date with a total hottie. You remember James Fortune, the football captain, right? Well, I'm not missing my date with him for a geek like Candy,' Annika commented, giving her brother's cheeks another coat of powder.

'He's not all that bad,' Tommy coughed as the powder drifted into his mouth.

'Tommy... For your own good, would you please just come out of the closet already!' Annika dabbed lipstick onto her brother's perky lips, refusing to listen to his excuses.

'Annika, I've told you before that I'm not gay. I'm just... not really interesting in dating girls right now,' the younger twin argued weakly, his ears drooping.

'Please, Tommy, I really can't stand the thought of going on a date with Candy. And don't worry, as long as you don't give yourself away, he won't know you aren't me. But don't forget to let him down firmly at the end of the date. Awww... you look adorable. Just like me,' Annika hugged her brother and pressed a kiss to his check.

Seconds later, the doorbell rang and Annika was shoving her brother out of her room with a whispered, 'Don't forget the red heels. You cannot wear runners with that dress.'

***

Tommy listened as the taller kid told one of his exaggerated stories. He had to hold in an amused chuckle, because Annika would never allow anything less than a girly giggle to leave her throat in this type of situation.

'This is the best date I've ever had, Annika. I can't believe you finally said yes,' Candy gazed back across the table, staring deeply into his date's eyes.

The petite, currently-crossdressing, boy wanted to wince. Just hearing his friend's excited, lovestruck words made him want to break down and confess everything. But he couldn't. He really didn't want to lose Candy's friendship... he feared that more than anything Annika would say or do to him if he let the cat out of the bag.

' I... um... need to... er... powder my nose,' Tommy announced, slipping from the table and walking quickly toward the sanctuary of the washrooms.

***

Candy glanced over his shoulder and smiled as he watched his date's adorable tail flick behind her as she strode across the restaurant. Even the way she paused, glancing back and forth between the male and female bathrooms, was cute. The lanky kid turned away as she disappeared from view into the woman's washroom.

'The perfect restaurant for a first date,' Candy commented aloud to himself as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his lime soda (he was, after all, still too young to order wine). Gazing out the window, the kid watched the people huddling together under their umbrellas as the light rain drizzled down from the darkened sky. After dinner, he planned to take Annika to the movies. The theatre was only a block away, so he'd have an excuse to leave the car parked and hold her hand while they cuddled together under his umbrella.

A flash of blue caught his attention just as he set down his glass. The familiar figure of a petite kid girl in a baby-blue dress was striding down the block with a muscular young man at her side. The two laughed about something under the glow of the street-lamp, his arm reaching around to pull her closer as they disappeared around the corner.

{That was Annika kid. That little witch stood me up! Wait, I'm on a date with her right now... which means I'm actually on a date with Tommy. Of all the rotten tricks to pull on a guy, this is definitely the lowest of the...}

'Candy... Are you alright?'

The teenager snapped out of his thoughts and found himself staring deeply into his date's ebony eyes. Tommy really did have pretty eyes... {No, I'm not gay. I only thought that because he's dressed like a girl right now}

'I'm fine. So... Annika, where is your brother tonight?' Candy asked, watching his date closely.

Tommy looked away, toying with the purse in his hands. 'He's, um, out with a friend,' the other kid finally answered.

{Ok, that's technically true. But that doesn't mean he's off the hook for this little prank date that he and Annika set me up on. I bet she's laughing at me right now with that new boyfriend of hers}

'Well, how about we head to that movie now,' Candy suggested, after paying the rather pricey restaurant bill with a twinge of annoyance.

'Oh, right. A movie,' Tommy seemed apprehensive about the idea. The taller kid suspected his "date" would rather just head home, but there was no way the twins were getting away without some retribution. And Candy knew just the thing that would get under Tommy's skin.

'Come on, Annika. You're going to love the movie. I promise,' Candy insisted, pulling his date quickly out of the restaurant. And if he pulled the smaller kid closer under the umbrella, it was only to keep up the pretence of being on a date with his crush.

***

Another squeak of fear drove itself into Candy's heart. Tommy hated horror movies, everyone knew that. The lanky teenager had wanted to get a bit of revenge on the twins for setting him up on a false date, but this just felt wrong. The petite, cross-dressed boy was clinging to him, face pressed into his arm every time the monster on screen leaped out of the shadows. Candy could see tears prickling at the corner's of Tommy's terrified eyes, yet the smaller kid made no move to leave the theatre to get away from his fears. This confused the older teenager greatly. If he was in Tommy's place, he'd have taken off a long time ago, prank or no prank.

'This movie is pretty boring. Wanna go for a walk instead?' Candy found himself suggesting. Ebony eyes blinked up at him in relief as the younger kid nodded frantically. Tugging his petite date from the darkened room, the kids made their way out of the crowded theatre and out into the night.

***

The rain clouds had drifted away, leaving the full moon shining down on the damp sidewalks. Tommy was silent, arms clasped around himself for comfort. The sight of his friend's quiet misery drove a wrench through Candy's heart.

Shaking his head, the older kid found his thoughts drifting to the day he met the twins for the first time. He'd liked Tommy right off the bat, and his feelings hadn't really changed once he'd found out that the cute kid girl was actually a boy. His eyes flickered to the petite kid at his side and he couldn't resist wrapping an arm around Tommy to pull him close. The boy smiled uncertainly back at him, before his eyes darted away quickly.

{Annika must have put him up to this. Tommy just isn't the type to play tricks on people... Would it really be so bad to date him?}

Candy was a teenage kid, so his thoughts didn't have any trouble swinging into a more intimate fantasy. Adorable little Tommy, sitting on his bed, pulling off that pretty dress while Candy spied on him through the window. The boy's silky black fur tapering down to his little kid-hood...

The fantasy jerked to a halt as Candy heard his name being called. Tommy blinked up at him, gesturing to the car they'd nearly walked past. Oh, right... he was still on a date. Sort of. Clearing his throat, the older kid unlocked the car and let Tommy into the passenger's seat, closing the door behind him like a proper gentleman.

***

'Thank you for walking me to the door, Candy. Dinner was lovely,' Tommy whispered, fiddling with the bow in his fur.

'I had a good time as well,' Candy replied, not moving from his spot.

'Candy... there's something you need to know,' the younger kid's cheeks tinged red as he looked up at his taller date.

Candy shook his head, pressing a finger to the boy's pert lips. 'Let's go on another date next week. And next time, wear your normal clothes, Tommy.'

Tommy's cheeks turned an even brighter red, his mouth falling open in shock. 'How did you find out?'

'It was pretty obvious. You're much cuter than Annika could ever hope to be,' the older teen announced, stepping back to give the boy some space.

'So... next week then?' Tommy felt his cheeks get even hotter as Candy took his gloved hand and pressed a kiss to it, like a gentleman courting a lady.

'Next week,' Candy promised, striding across the lawn toward the house next door.

***

{He likes me. I can't wait to tell Goofy and Donald that I have a real date next week!}

...the end...