BubbleGum Crisis
Tokyo 2033
"Lah Lah lah, lah lah lah," NeNe hung more garland strands around a dark forest green Christmas tree, "Lah lah lah, dee dee, Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!" she sang while decorating. Small bits of tinsel were thrown over the branches of fir.
"I love these Christmas holidays," Linna stared out the window, holding a cup of steaming cocoa. She was sitting on Sylia's office couch, watching the snowflakes drift by the window. One leg was curled beneath her on the cream couch, dark blue eyes staring into the void of white that decorated outside.
"Well I'd love them even more if you would get over here and hold this ladder like you are supposed to," NeNe scolded from her tall perch. She gulped, looking down at the floor below, worry reflected in her aqua green eyes. The tree wasn't particularly tall, but NeNe was at a short disadvantage to it, and she had to use the ladder anyways. ~I should have used the suit to do this~ she thought despairingly.
"So beautiful," Linna seemed mesmerized by the white flakes. She wasn't paying attention to the other girl. NeNe sighed and turned back to decorating the tree. She placed a small ornament into a crook. Moments passed of silence between them.
She was reaching for the top, to place the star up there, when she felt the ladder wobble beneath her, the legs suddenly having a life of their own. NeNe paused, scared to move. "Linna," she said quietly. The ladder creaked and wobbled again. "Linna!" she cried as it toppled over, eyes closing, expecting the blow to the floor.
"Gotcha."
NeNe opened her green eyes. She wasn't in pain. She hadn't crashed and broken her body or worse her neck. Arms had caught her, strong arms. And she had heard Mackie's voice speaking to her. She looked up into his smiling face.
"NeNe are you alright?" Linna came over from the window finally, looking worried but not overly so since she saw the miraculous save.
"No thanks to you," NeNe stuck her tongue out at Linna. She looked up to meet Mackie's brown eyes, which were the shade of deep mahogany as his sister Sylia's. "My hero!" she threw her arms around Mackie dramatically in a hug.
"Hey!" Mackie blushed, a tint of pink in his cheeks. He smiled and tried to set Nene down.
"Oh look you're under the mistletoe," Linna commented, her eyes riveted just above their head. Just over the two was a small sprig of green and white, a common decoration for winter festivities.
NeNe looked up. Mackie's dark eyes followed. "Hee! You know what that means!" NeNe teased. Mackie blushed, looking nervous. "Doesn't mean anything," he muttered. Nene was still in his arms and he tried to put her down again.
NeNe smooched him quickly. "Heroes deserve rewards," she winked and laughed. Mackie set her on the floor again still blushing. He backed away quickly.
"Um, I need to go work on Priss's cycle," he fled out the door on his excuse.
"He's so much fun to tease," NeNe smiled, "He gets so nervous easily." She grinned watching him go. "You think something was wrong?" This asked off hand as she moved back over to the tree. She paused her hand on the bottom rung.
"He needs a good woman so he can stop chasing Sylia." Linna commented, "Okay now I'll hold the ladder this time." She didn't really move from her position though and Nene peered at her skeptically.
"That's what you said last time," NeNe said, climbing up the ladder. She still had the star clutched in her hands.
* * *
"Ow!" Mackie pulled back his thumb. That was the second time today he had pinched his finger with the wrench. He reached forward, placing the nut back on the engine and cranking the shaft. He would wonder what was wrong, but he knew what was wrong. It was the kiss earlier. Girls kissing him made him nervous, but it was worse with NeNe.
Mackie was comfortable around NeNe. They were great friends, shared a lot of things in common, and enjoyed computers and hacking. But when things like today happened, he'd feel really weird. It was like his breath would stop and he'd get a strange tightening in his chest. Just like now.
"Ouch!" Mackie pulled back his finger, which he had pinched again on that same wrench. "Hey Mackie," Priss strolled in, her usual assured self, smirking down at him with a knowing smile. "Got my ride done?" she leaned over her motorcycle looking down at him, brown eyes curious.
"Almost," Mackie went back to work, applying the wrench once more. "You know, you wouldn't have to bring it in so much if you would just lighten up on the gas pedal when you're driving."
"I've heard this before," Priss waved her hand at him, her tone not amused by his criticism, "Just fix it and don't say a word. Are the girls in?"
"They're in there, decorating," Mackie waved his hand off towards the apartment and shop area. Priss disappeared inside behind the metal door.
Mackie had done the same thing earlier, when he went in to get a drink. He had gotten there in time to see NeNe start to fall off that ladder. Fearing, she would be hurt, he had rushed forward and caught her. He blushed again, thinking of the mistletoe kiss. "Itai!" This said when the wrench pinched him again. He sighed. He really had to stop thinking about it.
"Lah Lah lah, lah lah lah," NeNe hung more garland strands around a dark forest green Christmas tree, "Lah lah lah, dee dee, Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!" she sang while decorating. Small bits of tinsel were thrown over the branches of fir.
"I love these Christmas holidays," Linna stared out the window, holding a cup of steaming cocoa. She was sitting on Sylia's office couch, watching the snowflakes drift by the window. One leg was curled beneath her on the cream couch, dark blue eyes staring into the void of white that decorated outside.
"Well I'd love them even more if you would get over here and hold this ladder like you are supposed to," NeNe scolded from her tall perch. She gulped, looking down at the floor below, worry reflected in her aqua green eyes. The tree wasn't particularly tall, but NeNe was at a short disadvantage to it, and she had to use the ladder anyways. ~I should have used the suit to do this~ she thought despairingly.
"So beautiful," Linna seemed mesmerized by the white flakes. She wasn't paying attention to the other girl. NeNe sighed and turned back to decorating the tree. She placed a small ornament into a crook. Moments passed of silence between them.
She was reaching for the top, to place the star up there, when she felt the ladder wobble beneath her, the legs suddenly having a life of their own. NeNe paused, scared to move. "Linna," she said quietly. The ladder creaked and wobbled again. "Linna!" she cried as it toppled over, eyes closing, expecting the blow to the floor.
"Gotcha."
NeNe opened her green eyes. She wasn't in pain. She hadn't crashed and broken her body or worse her neck. Arms had caught her, strong arms. And she had heard Mackie's voice speaking to her. She looked up into his smiling face.
"NeNe are you alright?" Linna came over from the window finally, looking worried but not overly so since she saw the miraculous save.
"No thanks to you," NeNe stuck her tongue out at Linna. She looked up to meet Mackie's brown eyes, which were the shade of deep mahogany as his sister Sylia's. "My hero!" she threw her arms around Mackie dramatically in a hug.
"Hey!" Mackie blushed, a tint of pink in his cheeks. He smiled and tried to set Nene down.
"Oh look you're under the mistletoe," Linna commented, her eyes riveted just above their head. Just over the two was a small sprig of green and white, a common decoration for winter festivities.
NeNe looked up. Mackie's dark eyes followed. "Hee! You know what that means!" NeNe teased. Mackie blushed, looking nervous. "Doesn't mean anything," he muttered. Nene was still in his arms and he tried to put her down again.
NeNe smooched him quickly. "Heroes deserve rewards," she winked and laughed. Mackie set her on the floor again still blushing. He backed away quickly.
"Um, I need to go work on Priss's cycle," he fled out the door on his excuse.
"He's so much fun to tease," NeNe smiled, "He gets so nervous easily." She grinned watching him go. "You think something was wrong?" This asked off hand as she moved back over to the tree. She paused her hand on the bottom rung.
"He needs a good woman so he can stop chasing Sylia." Linna commented, "Okay now I'll hold the ladder this time." She didn't really move from her position though and Nene peered at her skeptically.
"That's what you said last time," NeNe said, climbing up the ladder. She still had the star clutched in her hands.
* * *
"Ow!" Mackie pulled back his thumb. That was the second time today he had pinched his finger with the wrench. He reached forward, placing the nut back on the engine and cranking the shaft. He would wonder what was wrong, but he knew what was wrong. It was the kiss earlier. Girls kissing him made him nervous, but it was worse with NeNe.
Mackie was comfortable around NeNe. They were great friends, shared a lot of things in common, and enjoyed computers and hacking. But when things like today happened, he'd feel really weird. It was like his breath would stop and he'd get a strange tightening in his chest. Just like now.
"Ouch!" Mackie pulled back his finger, which he had pinched again on that same wrench. "Hey Mackie," Priss strolled in, her usual assured self, smirking down at him with a knowing smile. "Got my ride done?" she leaned over her motorcycle looking down at him, brown eyes curious.
"Almost," Mackie went back to work, applying the wrench once more. "You know, you wouldn't have to bring it in so much if you would just lighten up on the gas pedal when you're driving."
"I've heard this before," Priss waved her hand at him, her tone not amused by his criticism, "Just fix it and don't say a word. Are the girls in?"
"They're in there, decorating," Mackie waved his hand off towards the apartment and shop area. Priss disappeared inside behind the metal door.
Mackie had done the same thing earlier, when he went in to get a drink. He had gotten there in time to see NeNe start to fall off that ladder. Fearing, she would be hurt, he had rushed forward and caught her. He blushed again, thinking of the mistletoe kiss. "Itai!" This said when the wrench pinched him again. He sighed. He really had to stop thinking about it.