It's been years. I have no excuses.

I sorta just did this for fun! I think you'll find that I expanded on my writing quite a bit since I last updated. Surprisingly enough, I still got messages about this fic up until this year. I just now remembered my password for this account, so... why not update?

Anyways, enjoy!

When Opposites Attract - Chapter 14

"So? What do you think?"

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at me was unrecognizable: somehow Giggles had managed to completely transform me in under half an hour- with the help of a pound or two of makeup. At first I wasn't sure why she decided to use white eyeliner on me- but it made sense when I examined myself. It made my eyes look much larger than they already were, that paired with the copious amount of blush she swept on my cheeks, and the two braids she managed to force my hair into, gave me an almost childlike, innocent appearance. Well.

More than usual, anyway.

"I'm not sure… i-it's a little much, don't you think?"

I could hear Petunia snort from her position in Giggles' room. She was busy putting on the finishing touches for her own makeup, sweeping a blood-red stain over her lips. It was Halloween night, and the three of us had decided on getting ready for Giggles' party at her house before we left for the cabin together. There was only one rule: nobody could have a costume too scary. Although Giggles denied it, I could tell that the rule was in place for my sake- I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. Did they really think I was that jumpy? Petunia, eventually satisfied with how she looked, adjusted the cap upon her head. She had decided to dress up as a nurse this year, and the entire uniform was accurate to the last thread. She even wore heels, making her height much more noticeable, since she was the tallest out of Giggles and I.

"Giggles never thinks anything is too much, Flakes." she mused in response, to which Giggles huffed quietly, crossing her arms.

"Well sorry for wanting her to be the best little red riding hood in history!"

I glanced down at myself. That certainly was a way to put it; the dress was a little short because of the ruffled petticoat beneath it, delicate lace and frills adorning the red fabric. A deeper red cloak had been draped over my shoulders, the bottom falling just past the hem of the dress. The cloak even had a hood, but I didn't bother to pull it on, my thoughts flickering to Splendid for a split second as I studied the material in my hands. Honestly, I was nervous; I knew he was going to be there, and with Flippy in attendance, who knew what was going to happen? Especially after the scene they made at lunch. I had been able to calm them down then, but what if things were different this time? I was hoping for nothing, but I still couldn't help but be a bit tense.

Giggles was none the wiser, however, finishing up the final touches on her own costume. This year she opted to be a bunny. It was a simple costume- for her standards anyway- she wore a short, flowy dress that she carefully attached a fake tail to the back of. A headband sat atop her head, with two cream-colored rabbit ears sticking up. The only other thing that was notably different about her makeup was the pink nose she drew on the tip of her actual nose, with eyeliner whiskers on her cheeks to match. Admittedly, she looked good- most other girls who tried last minute costumes like that didn't look nearly as nice. Giggles reasoned that as the hostess she didn't want the added hassle of a complicated costume, which made a bit of sense to me.

"Flaky."

Petunia's voice broke my train of thought, and my eyes quickly flit over to where she stood near Giggles' door.

"What is it?"

"You seem worried. Are you okay?" she asked, her voice a little low- probably so Giggles wouldn't overhear and start interrogating me.

She had plenty reason to, considering all that happened in the past week. I could hardly believe any of it happened myself.

"Um..." I began, not even sure how I would go about bringing up what was on my mind. Petunia looked sympathetic enough as I struggled to put together what I wanted to say, and I could feel my cheeks start to warm up from beneath the blush already on my skin. I didn't know why, but talking to her about this made me a little nervous.

"…What's the deal with Flippy a-and Splendid?" I mumbled, angling my body further away from Giggles as I spoke. "They're… I don't know. They obviously d-don't like each other…" I managed to say, before trailing off as something in Petunia's expression changed. I wasn't sure what it was, but the look in her eyes made me clam up. Her back straightened as she leaned a shoulder against the door, crossing her arms as she looked down the bridge of her nose to address me. For the second time, I found myself uncomfortable in her presence.

"Don't worry about it." she replied smoothly.

I lifted an eyebrow. What was with everyone keeping secrets from me?

"I-I think I have plenty to worry about… considering…"

"Considering what? " She clicked her tongue in distaste. "It's not like he's your boyfriend."

That threw me off. She was right; Flippy wasn't my boyfriend, despite all the signs pointing to him wanting to be. The way we interacted was much like a couple, but we never clarified what exactly we were. A ball of anxiety began to settle in the pit of my stomach. Did he even want to make things official? Who would want to be associated with me like that anyway? Was he just using me? Why did I suddenly feel so insecure about it?

"People might get hurt, i-is all..." I said quietly, and Petunia only shrugged, a lazy roll of her shoulders that made her seem all the more indifferent.

"I doubt it. As long as you stop being so nosy, anyway."

"…I-I..." What? The further I pressed, the more confused I became. Just what was the big deal? Why would people get hurt if I asked any questions about those two? Why was Petunia being so secretive? So cold? "What do you mea-"

"Leave it, Flakes. Nothing is going to happen. Trust me, I'm a doctor." The smile she pinned me with afterwards didn't quite meet her eyes, which looked darker than usual, before she gave me a playful wink. Her expression returned to normal immediately after, and I frowned. Was I imagining that too? Ever since the nightmare I had, something about Petunia rubbed me the wrong way. Even before the nightmare, if I was being honest with myself. I couldn't keep ignoring how uneasy she made me.

"…aren't you a nurse?"

"Don't ruin the joke, Flaky." she whined, and Giggles- who loved jokes- finally overheard, bounding over with a chipper grin on her face. "Did somebody say jokes?" she piped up, and the two of us groaned.

The ride over to the cabin took much longer than I thought it would. Or maybe it was just my nerves playing tricks on me; it didn't help that I let Petunia and Giggles chat in the front seat while I quietly stared out the window, looking up at the sky as we drove along. The moon was full, and it looked abnormally large as it hovered over us. Somehow it only helped to make me feel smaller.

It turned out that Happy Tree was a bigger town that it appeared. Although most of the residents lived around the center, it was an almost twenty minute drive to the more rural outskirts of town. Giggles remarked that barely anyone lived out there, much to my disdain. What if something happened and we needed help? The police station and the hospital were all so far from us…

"Oh, don't be such a scaredy cat, Flaky. I've been throwing parties for years, and nothing happened at each and every one of them!" Giggles reassured me from the drivers seat.

"A-are you sure?"

"Yeah! Well… wait."

Giggles pursed her lips as she thought things over, while the car began the ascent up a rather steep dirt road. Save for the headlights of the car and the light of the moon, it was extremely dark- this part of town was very woodsy; trees lined the road and towered over us. It would be nearly impossible to try to make it down from here without a flashlight.

"This one party two years ago… something did ha-"

"Giggles." Petunia said sharply, turning her head to give her a look. Giggles looked confused, her eyebrows furrowing as she glanced over at her friend.

"What? It's been a while, aren't you-"

"Giggles!" Petunia shouted.

The pink-haired girl quickly slammed on the breaks, and the car jolted to a sudden stop. I yelped as the seatbelt did its job in restraining me, but the leather bit into my body a fraction too tightly, and I winced in discomfort after being yanked back against the seat. In front of us was a deer, standing tall and defiant in the lights of the car, its dark eyes appearing to absorb any brightness before it turned away from us, slowly lumbering off the path and into the woods. Giggles' hands were tight on the wheel, her knuckles white as she tried to catch her breath. Petunia looked rather shaken too.

"…I-I'm sorry." she mumbled, to which Petunia gave a shaky nod in response.

Giggles turned around in her seat to look back at me, her eyes wide as she looked me over. My pulse was thudding in my ears, but for the most part, I was alright.

"You okay?"

"U-um… yeah- yeah. I'm okay." I bit my lip, finally relaxing against the seat and leaning back a little.

Thankfully the cabin was nearby, because for the rest of the drive Giggles made sure to go very slow, her eyes alert and constantly flitting around to check for more adventurous deer. Eventually we made it to the cabin, pulling off to the side to park next to the other cars that were already there. The cabin itself seemed old, but it was surprisingly big for something that was out in the middle of the woods. When Giggles said "abandoned cabin", I had pictured something smaller, more run down, but this just seemed like a vacation home that nobody used in a few years. All of us stuck together when we got out of the car, and Giggles led us up the stairs before she opened the door, being met with a blast of music that surprised nobody but myself.

Many people, a lot who I didn't even know, were packed into what looked like a living room. The couches were all shoved against the wall, and whoever wasn't sitting down was dancing with somebody or drinking something. I saw plenty of masks and facepaint, all of it innocent enough- a lot of people decided to go the easy way out and wear some form of animal ears on a headband. I almost felt overdressed with the cloak around my shoulders, but I knew Giggles would give me hell for it if I took it off, so I kept it in place, following the group as they went to go locate Cuddles.

Cuddles was in the kitchen, pouring himself a drink by an expensive looking crystal punch bowl. His hair was neatly slicked back, which looked unusual for him. Even more unusual was the suit and tie he wore; it just seemed incredibly out of place on the usually playful boy. I was going to ask exactly what he was supposed to be dressed up as, but Giggles nearly tackled him on sight. He seemed surprised, but he supported her with one arm while she launched into a tirade about what had happened on the drive up.

"Oh Cuddles! I'm so sososo glad I gave you the spare key just in case- we were driving up here and this huge deer just jumped out in front of my car!" She wailed, and Cuddles frowned.

"Geez, Giggles… well I'm glad you guys are okay. You need to be more careful when you're driving around here, y'know."

"I know, I know. I just, it was so scary-"

I gave a sigh, turning and leaving the two to talk. Petunia had gone off on her own at some point, and I spotted her chatting with somebody in plaid- but a few other stragglers that stood around the refrigerator blocked them. I didn't make an effort to find out who they were; I definitely didn't feel like talking to Petunia after what happened back at Giggles' house- if anything happened, that is. I couldn't stop thinking about it, however, and that should've been reason enough. When her gaze suddenly turned to mine, I felt my heart skip a beat, and I quickly decided to leave the kitchen, turning on my heel and venturing back out into the thick of the party. It was difficult to maneuver through the crowd of people, but I had my eyes set on the snack table; maybe some food would be enough to calm my nerves.

Eventually I made it over in one piece, looking over the spread that was laid out on the table. The huge bowl of candy was more tempting than the actual food, however, and I settled on a chocolate bar, checking to be sure there weren't any nuts in it before I took a bite. Thankfully it was alright, and I finished off the candy rather quickly, tossing the wrapper away in a trash bin that was placed right next to the table. When I stood back up, a hand fell onto my shoulder, and I jumped, a yelp sounding in my throat as I quickly spun around to see-

What?

"Woah there, Flaky! I didn't mean to scare you." he said, a playful smile pulling at his lips.

"…Splendid?"

"In the flesh. Who else would it be?" he joked, and my cheeks burned as my thoughts flashed to somebody else entirely. Determined on avoiding the subject, I laughed quietly, glancing down for a moment.

Splendid looked very different in his costume; a red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, worn jeans, and a pair of heavy looking boots. An axe was hanging from one of the belt loops on his jeans, but a closer look revealed that it was made of plastic. I tried to figure out exactly who he was, and while the look was vaguely familiar, it still escaped me.

"You look nice, by the way."

My eyes snapped up to meet his, and my cheeks started to grow warmer.

"O-oh! Uh... thank you. You look nice too…" I trailed off, my expression turning sheepish. "Sorry, um. What are you supposed to be?"

Splendid raised an eyebrow at the question, and it definitely didn't help how stupid I felt at that moment.

"You didn't recognize me? I'm the woodsman. Y'know. From little red riding hood?"

Oh. Now I remembered. I could feel the heat at my cheeks starting to worsen as I thought over the plot of the fairy tale. Little red riding hood goes to visit her grandmother, her grandmother is eaten by the wolf, little red riding hood almost gets eaten herself, and the woodsman comes to save the day. Of course Splendid would dress up like a hero, but why did he have to be this one in particular? There were so many others to choose from.

"Right! I totally knew that." I said, and Splendid just laughed.

I knew Splendid was being nice, but I couldn't help but feel awkward. My hands dawdled to the hem of my dress, and I fiddled with the lace, giving myself something to do while my eyes scanned the crowd of people. To be honest, I was looking for a way out of the conversation, but Splendid seemed intent on talking to me. It wasn't like I disliked Splendid, anything but, but for some reason his presence was making me anxious.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"What're you talking about?" I responded, glancing back up at him curiously. It wasn't until after I said it that I realized I probably sounded a little rude.

Splendid frowned, rubbing the back of his head as he gave a shrug.

"That deer you almost ran into on the way up here. That must've been scary, huh? A lot of people forget that there's a ton of them out this far."

"You meant that? I mean, I-I'm fine, but thank you for asking…" I paused, my thoughts suddenly going back to the kitchen. We had only been at the party for at least ten minutes, how did he find out about that so quickly? "How did you hear about that a-anyway?"

"Oh! Uh." Now it was Splendid who looked a tad embarrassed, and he shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing away for a second before his attention returned to me. "I talked to Petunia a few minutes ago. She said you were really shaken up about it. I just wanted to check in on you."

What? This was making less sense by the minute. Why would Petunia say that I was still scared? Sure, almost hitting a deer was scary in the moment, but I had gotten over it the minute I left the car. We all had assured each other that we were okay before we continued on, too. My confusion was plain on my face, and it only seemed to make Splendid feel even more awkward as he shifted his weight a little.

"I-I don't need… I'm okay. Really."

"Are you sure? If anything, you could still be in shock, and-"

"She said she was fine, didn't she?" a voice interrupted.

Before I could look for the source, an arm snaked around my waist, and it was almost embarrassing how quickly I relaxed against the familiar warmth. I didn't know Flippy had arrived at the party already, but I was thankful for him showing up when he did, saving me from the path that conversation was probably going to go down. Splendid looked surprised, before his eyes narrowed, his posture straightening as he shifted again.

"Oh. I didn't think you would actually show up." he said, his voice gaining a hardened edge that was unlike him.

"You assume a lot of things, don't you Splendid?" Flippy replied coolly, and the way Splendid tensed showed that he struck a nerve, whatever it was.

"Whatever. Nice costume, by the way." he shot back, not sounding sincere at all. "It sure is fitting." Splendid said, grabbing a can of beer from the table before he turned and disappeared into the crowd without another word.

Flippy watched him go until he decided he was far enough away, and then he relaxed, giving a tired sigh as his arm dropped from my waist.

"Sorry about that." he muttered.

I took the chance to take a step forward and turn to face him, wanting to see whatever costume Splendid was talking about. It took a moment for me to figure it out; Flippy was just wearing regular clothes- a plain black tshirt that hugged his chest and jeans that were ripped at the knees- but it wasn't until I looked at his face that I noticed the ears perched atop his head. They were grey and stuck up, and I finally realized with growing embarrassment that they were wolf ears.

Jesus, was everyone dressed up for little red riding hood? The costumes were too specific to be a coincidence, I was sure of it. After a moment, I realized I was staring at him, and Flippy lifted an eyebrow, flashing a playful grin down at me. His smile really was wolfish whenever he allowed himself to do it. Splendid was right: the costume fit him perfectly. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, or what that meant. This whole situation felt like a twisted metaphor, and that alone made me uneasy.

"Like what you see, Flakes?"

His voice broke me from my train of thought, and a fierce blush settled in my cheeks as I tried and failed not to embarrass myself any further.

"Yeah- I mean! Um. Well…" eventually I stopped trying, hanging my head a little. "Yes." I mumbled, to which Flippy gave a laugh, puling me in for a hug. I squeaked quietly at the sudden display of affection, but I wasn't opposed to it, reveling in the warmth that seemed to radiate from his body. He smelled nice too. I couldn't quite place what it was, but there was a hint of laundry detergent with it.

"You're cute."

"T-thank you."

He released me soon after, and I bit my lip as I thought over my predicament. Petunia's words from earlier still stuck with me: whether Flippy was my boyfriend or not. I didn't want to bring it up now, especially after the tense moment with Splendid, but I was going to have to bite the bullet and say something about it sooner or later. Maybe tonight.

"What're you thinking about?"

Maybe not tonight.

"O-oh, uh. Just earlier… when we got here." I lied. "Giggles wasn't paying attention and we almost hit a deer on the drive up."

Flippy's eyes widened for a moment, before he frowned down at me.

"It's a wonder you guys are okay. Giggles drives like a maniac."

I couldn't help the chuckle I let out afterwards, feeling my nervousness start to dissipate the more we spoke. He was right; Giggles was a bit of a reckless driver- I found that out the first day I got into her car. The small smile at my lips faded a little when I saw the serious look on his face.

"I don't know what I would do if you didn't get back home safe."

My heart skipped a beat. I knew he cared about my safety, but hearing him confirm it aloud made it a bit more tangible. Flippy being the one to protect me made me feel at ease- although reason told me I'd probably be a bit safer with somebody else. I didn't want to think about that.

"Hey, I drove here, so... I could give you a ride back home, if you want."

"Oh…sure, thank you." I answered without even thinking about it.

The subject couldn't change again, however, because Giggles bounded over to the both of us, her smile still bright even as she caught sight of Flippy. Out of all of my friends, Giggles seemed to be the one who tolerated him the most, with Cuddles at a close second. It was comforting to know that not everyone thought he was completely unapproachable.

"Hey, you two! We're playing truth or dare."

"Aren't we a little old for that?" Flippy asked in surprise, to which Giggles shot him a look.

"No way? You're never too old for fun- now you guys are definitely playing."

Before either of us could protest any further, Giggles had made up her mind about it, and I found myself in the next room, with my friends and some strangers sitting around on the numerous couches. Even though there were less people playing the game, it somehow felt crowded to me, and it was all I could do to sink into the couch, trying to keep myself as small as possible. I didn't want any of the attention on me, but with Flippy sitting by my side, it might have been impossible.

The game had already been a few questions in by our arrival, and Giggles made it very clear that I needed to be included as soon as possible- it was only fair, according to her. It was then that I noticed the gazes of everyone in the room settling on me, and I looked up from where my hands were folded on my lap, already confused.

"…w-what?"

"Truth or dare, Flaky?"

I frowned, glancing over at Petunia, who had apparently asked the question. She was nearly reclining on Handy on the couch, her legs daintily tucked next to herself as she leaned against his shoulder. They oddly looked well together under this circumstance, despite her being dressed as a nurse and Handy a construction worker. It was hard to tell what was going on in Petunia's mind at the moment- but my gut told me not to go with "truth". What if she asked about Flippy? I wanted to make this stupid game as painless as possible and get out of it as soon as I could. I had my thoughts set on refuge in the bathroom or the kitchen when I finally gave my answer.

"Dare."

There was a soft chorus of "oohs" that went around the circle, everyone clearly surprised by my decision. Even Petunia, but her look of shock quickly melted away as her eyes narrowed just so, and she tapped a perfectly manicured nail to her lips, something she did when she thought things over. It didn't take her long to come up with a dare, however, and she looked rather pleased with herself as she lowered her hand from her lips.

"I dare you to… kiss Splendid."

She pointed at where the boy sat in the circle, cloaking the decision with an air of finality as her finger landed on him. The reaction of the group was even more obnoxious now, a mixture of snickers and whispering that definitely didn't help with how I felt about the situation; I absolutely did not want to kiss Splendid. My distaste was obvious in my expression, and I was almost too worried to look at Flippy to see what he felt about it.

"Can I-I… take a pass on this one?" I mumbled, and Petunia tsked in response.

"It's truth or dare, Flakes, not truth or wimp out."

"…you don't even have to kiss him on the lips, y'know. Petunia didn't say where." Giggles piped up quietly, and I was immensely thankful that she sat next to me.

Petunia lifted an eyebrow, and she gave a bored sigh, crossing her arms as she settled further against Handy. It was clear that I didn't have much choice in the matter. Still, I found it incredibly difficult to move, as if my limbs were suddenly filled with lead. Flippy was perfectly calm next to me, almost suspiciously so; wouldn't he have been upset about this? He and Splendid clearly did not get along with one another, but it seemed as if he didn't care about what was going on. A frown settled on my lips as I thought it over. What should I care if he didn't react? It would be better for everyone if nobody got into any fights tonight. Besides, Petunia was right… he wasn't my boyfriend.

At least I thought he wasn't. It was enough to finally push me from the couch, slowly crossing to the other side of the room where Splendid was sitting. While the crowd of partygoers was getting increasingly rowdy as I approached, the tension in the circle grew more and more until I was right in front of him. Splendid seemed unfazed by the others, giving me his trademark smile- although something about it seemed… different. As I got closer, I realized it was his eyes; they seemed to be a bit glossy, although I knew it wouldn't be like Splendid to cry. He was much too proud to show any form of perceived weakness, even if it was as something as natural as crying. Giving a deep breath, I leaned down, squeezing my eyes shut to press a chaste kiss against his cheek. Splendid's face was incredibly warm for some reason, but I didn't plan on sticking around long enough to figure out why, pulling back from him almost as fast as I had approached. A few people in the group gave a disappointed jeer, but out of everyone in the room, Petunia seemed the most unimpressed. She looked as if she was about to protest what I had done, so I said something.

"You w-weren't that specific about it, you know-" I said, citing what Giggles had told me earlier. I was clinging onto that excuse like a lifeline here, and nobody was going to take it away from me.

Nobody except Splendid, apparently.

He had stood up from the circle while I spoke to Petunia, and quite easily pulled me close as I gave a squeak of surprise. Suddenly, the world seemed to flip as Splendid twirled me around, giving a moments pause as he shot a triumphant look towards somebody, before he dramatically dipped me low to the floor, leaning down and kissing me. There was an uproar of laughter all around us while he held me close, much to my chagrin. The taste of alcohol on his lips made it obvious that Splendid had been drinking- but that still didn't make this okay. When he lifted me back up, the kiss broke immediately as I yanked away from his grasp, furiously wiping at my mouth with the back of my hand.

Even Splendid was laughing along with everyone else, hints of my lipstick smudged on his lips, and that image alone seemed to do it for me. An uncharacteristic burst of anger flared up in my chest. Instinctively, I reached up and slapped him across the face, the harsh sound effectively shutting everyone up. Splendid recoiled, raising a hand to the reddened mark on his cheek that was left behind from the force of my palm. He looked surprised- everyone did- but for once, he didn't have anything to say.

Despite how upset I was, my vision blurred anyway, hot, angry tears bubbling up at the corners of my eyes before they ran down my cheeks. I couldn't stand being in that place, with those people, any longer. So, in another split-second decision, I left, sharply turning on my heel and rushing out of the room. It seemed my exit shocked the others back into speaking, a few voices calling after me.

"Flaky, wait-!" Giggles said, worry clear in her tone.

"Oh, c'mon Flakes… it was just a joke!" Petunia's voice rang out.

That somehow made me more angry as I stormed out of the cabin, the cool autumn air meeting my flushed skin coming as a bit of a relief after the front door slammed shut. Some joke that was. Jokes were supposed to be funny! If that was Petunia's idea of a joke, then she and Splendid could keep those to themselves. Just the thought of Splendid made me want to scream in frustration. I decided I wasn't going to listen to anything that he'd want to tell me after this- any and all apologies would fall on deaf ears. This was the second time he'd embarrassed me in front of so many people, I was sure that I never wanted to see him again. I spent so much time fuming to myself that my anger had started to dissipate, eventually being replaced with sadness. Weren't they all supposed to be my friends? I felt like the victim of a cruel prank. I didn't even notice that somebody had followed after me, not until they finally decided to speak.

"Flaky, are-"

"What?" I snapped with the last of my heated energy, turning around to see Flippy, to my surprise. His figure was silhouetted against the light coming from the cabin, the fake ears still perched atop his head truly adding to the slight unease I felt for a split second, before it disappeared when he spoke up again.

"…are you okay?"

He seemed hesitant to approach, but the concern was clear on his face as he watched me from about a foot away, not making any moves to come closer. It took a moment to realize that he was doing this to make me feel comfortable- something that I appreciated to no end. New tears ran over the old tracks on my cheeks, almost as a response to his question, and I didn't bother to wipe them away. My voice cracked pathetically when I finally gave him an answer.

"N-no…" I croaked.

It was then that I decided to approach, and he opened his arms for me as I buried my face into his chest with a quiet sob. Flippy's embrace was incredibly tender, and it made me feel nothing but safe while he held me close- the opposite of how I felt with Splendid mere moments ago. It was definitely a welcome change, and I clutched onto his frame as my eyes effectively soaked the front of his shirt, until it seemed as if I ran out of tears to shed, and I finally calmed down.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked, and I gave a weak nod, not wanting to hear how hoarse my voice could've grown from crying.

So he carefully led me over to where he was parked, using his phone as a flashlight to guide us in the darkness of the woods. I managed not to trip over anything on the way to the vehicle, but he did have to give me a boost when I tried to get into his truck. It wasn't my fault he had an obnoxiously big car! …or that I was so short.

The ride home was in deafening silence, save for the noises Flippy's truck made on the dirt road and the soft buzz of radio static. I was still in shock over what happened at the party: what the hell was Splendid's deal? What he did was completely out of character, and the further we drove away from the cabin, the more I suspected that he did it because of Flippy. I was getting the sinking feeling that he was trying to prove something, although I didn't know what that was. As far as I was concerned, Splendid had nothing to prove to me.

I glanced over at Flippy as he drove, and his eyes were glued to the road, a picture of perfect concentration, really. His hands were positioned almost stiffly on the wheel. I wondered what he was thinking about. He was almost abnormally unresponsive when Splendid kissed me; in fact, it seemed as if I was the angriest out of us both. Honestly, I didn't understand his actions sometimes. Of all the rumors going on about him, about how he'd jump at the chance to attack somebody, didn't make much sense now: he had a completely understandable reason to do so, and instead he did absolutely nothing. Either way, I was thankful for him taking me home so quickly.

Finally we reached the more populated area of Happy Tree, and after a few minutes, his truck pulled up to the curb in front of my house. I undid my seatbelt after a brief moment of fumbling, my tone sheepish as I finally broke the silence and spoke up.

"T-thanks for driving me home."

"You're welcome."

There was something in his voice that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I assumed he felt bad about what happened tonight; it was supposed to be fun for the both of us, but Splendid had to go and ruin it. I wanted to make it up to him somehow.

"Do you want to come i-inside for some tea?" I mumbled, and Flippy finally turned his attention to me. He looked surprised about my offer, and he thought it over for a moment before he gave a nod, turning the key in the ignition to shut the engine off. The ears were taken out of his hair right after, the two of them tossed onto the dashboard before he opened the door.

We both got out of the truck, and I hopped the short distance to the ground, brushing off the bottom of my dress before I walked up the steps to my house. I unlocked the front door and held it open for Flippy, before I went about untying my cloak, draping it over the arm of the couch as a reminder to return it to Giggles at some point. "Make yourself a-at home." I said politely, turning to make my way into the kitchen to search for two mugs. Eventually I located two rather big ones I got from a trip to an amusement park, setting those down on the counter and putting tea bags into them afterwards. Soon a kettle of water was placed on the stove burner, and I glanced back to the living room to check on my guest.

What I saw made me hesitate; Flippy had the red cloak in his hands, obviously curious as he studied the fabric. He was being so gentle with it, like he was afraid it would rip in two, and I cleared my throat to alert him of my presence. He glanced up at me, his expression unreadable, and I was at a loss for what to say; do I bring up the elephant in the room and talk about the party? Or something else? I took the easy way out instead.

"Um, the kettle is on the stove, so the tea will be ready i-in a few-"

"Did you want to kiss him?" he interrupted.

"…W-what?"

I blinked in surprise at the bluntness of his question. Obviously the answer was no- I had no idea why he even entertained the thought that I would want to kiss Splendid after my reaction. Everyone else, too. They all seemed fixated on the idea of him and me, when that wasn't what I wanted at all.

"I said, did you want to kiss him?"

"No." I maintained, and the corner of Flippy's lips quirked up a little.

Then he was headed for me, forgetting the supposed fragility of the cloak as he tossed it carelessly onto the couch. I took an instinctive step backwards, my eyes widening as I bumped against the counter, and before I could get out of the way, Flippy was right in front of me. His hands rested flat on the countertops by either side of my hips. Somehow I didn't shy away, only managing to look up at him through my lashes. Regardless, I couldn't move. I wasn't sure if I wanted to, either.

"Because, it was obvious he wanted to."

"H-he was drunk, Flippy-"

"He likes you, Flakes." he growled, and my heart jolted in my chest. "How can you not see that? If he had the chance to kiss you sober, he would. He did it to get a reaction out of me, so I'd pick a fight and you'd finally see me as the big bad wolf he's trying to save you from."

One of his hands made it up to my chin, and he tilted it so I would look at him directly. I swallowed thickly as his gaze bore into mine, unwavering as he searched my eyes for something I couldn't name. My pulse raced in my ears while I tried to center myself here, say something, anything, but I kept getting lost in the intensity of his stare. What he was saying made sense- it was a wonder that I hadn't put two and two together after so long. Maybe I just wanted to believe that Splendid didn't like me that way- especially since everyone else seemed dead-set on forcing us together.

"I could barely stand it, seeing him do that to you. I wanted to break his fingers for even thinking that he could lay a hand on my-"

"Y-yours?" I whispered suddenly, his word choice shocking me a bit. I never had somebody speak so possessively about me before. It was jarring, to say the least, but that didn't stop the warm flush from settling into my cheeks.

"…Mine." he breathed.

Before I could react to what he said, his lips were pressed against mine. In another uncharacteristic move, I found myself responding just as passionately as he, inching forward as I kissed him back, my hands moving up to card through his hair and pull him even closer. He shifted in front of me, his touch ghosting down my sides and resting at my waist, before I was being hoisted up onto the counter in one swift movement, my legs hanging over the edge. Flippy easily slid in between them, his grip searing hot against my skin as it settled on my thighs. He tasted absolutely saccharine, almost unbelievably sweet, with a hint of something else- was that mint? When the kiss broke, the two of us were panting, and I could feel the little puffs of air bouncing against my face he was so close. Our eyes met rather easily, and I bit my lip out of nervous habit.

There was something different about his expression, a quick, dark glint in his eyes before he was leaning back in, avoiding my mouth altogether in favor of my neck instead. Fingers curled tighter at Flippy's hair as his lips roamed down my throat, pressing kiss after heady kiss against my flushed skin. I felt almost overheated now, every point of contact we had sending fire through my veins, and I couldn't help but squirm a little on the counter when his advances grew bolder, letting out a gasp as his teeth dug into the side of my neck. "Flippy-"

Suddenly we were interrupted by the kettle on the stove, the screeching of the steam escaping the spout knocking the both of us out of the moment. Hesitantly, I untangled myself from Flippy, and he pulled back just enough for me to be able to slide off the counter, blushing furiously as I went over to the stove to shut the burner off. I carefully grabbed the handle with a nearby potholder, pouring the water into the two mugs I had set aside earlier, giving the tea bags some time to steep in the water before I even bothered picking up the mugs, handing one off to Flippy soon after. It was a relief to have something to at least try to keep myself distracted from the thoughts swirling around my head. I attempted to focus on the heat of the mug at my hands, instead of the gravity of what just happened between us. Flippy had called me his- did he really mean what he said, or was it just from the passion of the moment? I was dying to ask, but before I could even think to, his voice cut through the comfortable silence that had fell over the room.

"I'm sorry." he murmured, to my surprise.

"…why?" my voice was muffled in my mug, until I lifted my head to blink up at him. "You d-didn't do anything…"

"…exactly. I didn't do anything. I should've protected you earlier."

Oh. He was talking about the party. I frowned a little into my drink, giving a tiny shake of my head.

"I-it's okay… besides, I can protect myself, y'know?"

Flippy gave me a look, amusement flitting across his features before he chuckled quietly. "I guess… you have a pretty mean right hook, Flakes. That was impressive." There was a bit of fondness in his tone, and I found myself relaxing, a tiny smile pulling at my lips as the mood considerably lightened. We ended up talking about lots of things for a while, even joking around as we finished off our tea. By the time our mugs were empty, I nearly forgot about the less-desirable events of the night, until Flippy announced that he should probably head home. He was right; the fact that Giggles' party was tonight didn't change that we still had class on Monday. It was disappointing that Halloween fell on a Sunday this year- because of class right after, and now the fact that I would have to face everyone in school tomorrow. What would they think of me after what happened at the party? I didn't care about Splendid, but everyone else… I hoped they would understand.

He seemed to notice my nervousness about this fact as I walked him over to the door, and he gently brushed my hair out of my face. "If anything happens, I'll be with you, okay?"

"O-okay." I replied sheepishly, blushing when he leaned down to press a quick kiss against my forehead.

"Good night, Flakes."

"Night..."

Flippy smiled before he left, the door closing behind him with a soft click. After I turned the lock, I got myself ready for bed, finding myself restlessly staring at the ceiling of my room afterwards. Now that he was gone, all the thoughts from before came rushing back. It wasn't until much later that I finally slipped into unconsciousness.

For once, I didn't dream.

More conflict? More drama? When will this entire situation come to a head?