Here's another emotional chapter. You will need tissues...

Molly arranged the plates around the table, making sure the knives and forks were right.

Did the knife go on the right or left side of the plate? It doesn't matter. Mrs. Hoofington wasn't joining them tonight, anyway, since she was the only one who cared about table etiquette, so it was just going to be Molly, Nny, and Mr. Snuffles.

It wasn't actually Molly's birthday until tomorrow. Her Mommy promised they would have a girl's day out of shopping and manicures, and then she would take her to the movies.

It wouldn't be the same without Daddy. For her fifth birthday last year, they had gone to the zoo, and then they went and got tacos together. But this year, it would just be her and Mommy.

Molly sighed, lowering her head. No, no crying. She would mess up her makeup...

Glancing over at her mirror, she gave a twirl and smiled. Molly looked pretty in her pink princess dress and glittery fairy wings. She had a tiara too and a wand, and now she felt like a real fairy princess.

The costume was a gift from her Daddy. He may have gone away for a while, but at least he remembered to get her a present.

There came a thin rap at her window. Molly turned to the glass, a wide smile brightening up her face when she spied her friend Nny.

"You made it!"

He pulled up the window since she left it open just for him, and now he climbed inside the room, matching her grin. "Oh, I wouldn't miss this..."

Nny stopped short, his eyes widening when they took in her pink dress. "Um... you never said it would be formal wear. Pooh, I'm a little underdressed..."

Molly giggled. "It's okay. I got you covered!"

"Thanks. Also, when did you grow wings?"

"Just five minutes ago. They're not real though, they're pretend. See?" She took them off to demonstrate, and Nny nodded his head.

"Ah, I see. It's all make-believe. Of course you're not a real fairy..." he chuckled, then stopped short, gazing down at her. "You're not, are you?"

Molly burst into laughter. "No, silly! I'm just Molly. Come on, the tea's getting cold."

She dragged Nny over to the table, pushing him down onto a chair, and once again he adjusted his legs on the tiny child's seat. Next, she gave him a pink bonnet, and Nny gazed at it with interest. "Ooh, pretty... "

Molly smiled suggestively. "Well, aren't you going to put it on?"

Nny glanced at the bonnet again, biting his lip. He looked as if he was holding back vomit. His skin even turned green. "Uh... I'm not so sure. Pink's really not my colour..."

Molly placed a finger on her chin, giving it thought. "Hm, maybe you're right." She moved over to her fancy dress box and shuffled around for a more suitable hat. She pulled out a wide-brimmed hat with a ribbon, holding it up for Nny. "How about this one?"

Again, Nny looked at the hat unsure, yet he did look less sick this time. Finally, he sighed, reaching his hand out. She passed him the hat as he placed it haphazardly on his head, and now it was like having tea with Grandma.

Molly clasped her hands together. "Aw, NNY, you look so pretty..."

Nny's cheeks reddened, and he didn't seem too pleased. "Thank you, Molly. You're... too kind..."

She giggled and moved closer, stopping just beside him. Nny watched her warily. "What? Do I have blood on my face? I thought I got it all off!"

He reached up to wipe his cheek.

"No, I was thinking... could I put makeup on you?"

Nny looked as if he was going to be sick again. He even burped, throwing a hand over his mouth. "What? No! I came here for free cake, not a makeover."

"Please, NNY?" she begged, ensuring her eyes looked extra sweet and puppy-like. "Just a little? I promise I won't put too much on."

He ground his jaw, eyeballing her sharply. Then he rolled his eyes, hissing through clenched teeth. "Fine. All right. But just a little makeup. Don't want to look like a clown now. I hate clowns."

Molly laughed. "Me too, they're scary! Don't worry, NNY, I'm going to make you look like a princess!"

He looked at her as if she were an alien from another planet. Then he exhaled once again, bowing his head. "Okay. But only because I like you so much. Just... don't make me look too much like a princess, all right? People give me a hard enough time as it is. I'm... not the manliest around."

Molly squealed for joy. "Okay!"

She got her makeup kit out and started applying blush to his cheeks. Nny sat perfectly still while she brought out the apples of his cheeks. Then she applied fake eyelashes to his eyes, smeared pink lipstick across his lips, and for the finishing touches, she painted a beauty spot just beneath his left eye.

"Ta-da!" Molly held up a mirror so he could see, and Nny just stared at his reflection. He hardly seemed to recognise himself.

His eyes blurred from their sockets. "I've... never looked so pretty..."

"Do you like it?"

Again, she leaned closer, gazing up at him hopefully. His eyes found her now, and it took him a while to reply. Then for the third time since he entered her room, he sighed. "You're lucky I really, really like you, Molly... but... so long as you're having fun, all right. Paint my nails next. They're looking a little chipped lately."

"Yes!"

Molly rushed around her room, looking for nail polish. When she found some, she rushed back to Nny, holding up a pot of pink glitter.

Nny's body twitched as if he just received an electrical shock. Then a wide smile stretched across his face, and it looked as if he was going into one of those different realties he often told Molly about. He said his mind ventured there sometimes, shifting his way of thinking to whatever made sense to him at that time, and now it appeared that one of his realties accepted having pink glitter on his nails as a means to an end.

"Of course! Paint away!"

He placed his hands onto the table, letting her paint glitter on his nails, and when she was done, he held them up to the light.

Molly laughed. "Now you finally look like a real princess!"

Her laughing continued, bouncing off the walls of her room. Nny watched her curiously for a while, as if he couldn't quite grasp that she wasn't a real fairy. But then a smile slowly formed across his lips, and soon he was chuckling right along with her.

"It's good to hear you laugh, Molly. The sound could light up any room."

Molly beamed. "Thank you. Your laugh is nice too."

"It's not. It's twisted and psychotic while yours is precious. Don't ever change that laugh."

Silence followed, and now all Molly could think about was her dad. Her Daddy always played dress-up with her too, and he always let her paint his nails in all sorts of colours. But now, he was gone.

Nny caught on to her mood change, and it was as if Molly had disappeared into one of her own realities. Maybe that's what realties were all along—different moods and emotions.

"Molly?"

Molly shook her head, putting on a brave smile like she always did. It was something she had been taught to do. Always smile for grown-ups, and they won't be mad. Also, they won't be sad, like her Mommy.

Just... why did her eyes sting? Nothing made sense anymore.

Her reality was falling apart.

Nny rose to his feet. Then he took a tentative step towards her and knelt down to her eye level, grabbing her shoulders. He looked straight into her eyes, as if he was searching for something.

He moved his mouth, fumbling for words. Then he cleared his throat and said, "I... know what you're doing, Molly. You're smiling through the pain so others don't see how hurt you are. While smiling and laughing is nice, don't hide it. Just... cry. I know I told you once not too bleed too hard, but don't ignore your feelings either. Normally, I abhor emotions. I see them as a weakness, just another superfluous vice that one could do without. But I only want that for me. I... wouldn't want that for you. Despite the fact your pain has become my pain now, don't bottle it up. That's how you become insane, like me... heh. Repressed feelings are the worst, I should know. I've spent far too long trying to obliterate my own feelings, but... it's hard..."

Molly blinked through tears, wiping her nose. "W-why would you want to o-obliterate your feelings?"

He glanced away meekly. "Because... they only brought me pain. I've only known suffering, Molly. People have been cruel to me. So, I wanted to stop feeling any kind of emotion. That was why I decided to become cold like Mr. Samsa, but... I'm failing. I'm caving yet again..."

Molly stared at him speechless. He hung his head, too afraid to meet her eyes. His hands dropped from her shoulders next, falling to his sides, yet he stayed on his knees.

She didn't understand. He wanted to be cold, like Mr. Samsa? Who was that? A friend of his?

She smiled shyly and reached across, patting his shoulder. "It's okay, NNY. It's okay that you failed. You... will win next time..."

He squeezed his eyes shut, and Molly wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He was hard to read.

"You just make it so damn hard to resist. Where others would chastise me, you... you only sympathize. Ah, why's it have to be so hard!"

He stood up and moved away from her, facing the window. He pulled off the wide-brimmed hat, his whole body shaking. "I just... just want to switch it off... Don't want to be a slave to anything, but... you don't make it easy..."

Molly gazed at his back for a while with the strange slogan, trying to think of something to say. That was when she remembered what he said about never smiling through the pain. He should let his emotions free and cry, but only if he wanted to. She didn't care how cold he was, she would always be his friend.

If removing his emotions made it easier for him, then Molly would accept it.

She got up and moved towards him, hugging his waist. He didn't try to stop her. He just continued to shake, placing his hand over his face. He was ruining his makeup, but Molly didn't care.

"It's okay, NNY. If you want to cry, then you cry. If you want to remove the pain, then you remove it. Do whatever makes you happiest. I would still love you no matter what..."

"I... just..." He froze next, his body going completely still. He'd finally stopped shaking, and Molly looked up at him confused.

He was staring down at her, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Wh-what did you...?"

She smiled, hugging him once again. "I said I love you, NNY. Friends love each other after all, and I love you. Even if you never love me back because you removed your emotions, I will still love you..."

Molly tightened her hold around him, swearing to never let him go. She never should have let her father go, but she won't make that same mistake with Nny.

There came a sniff, and Molly looked up, dismayed. Tears were dripping from his own eyes now as he went back to hiding his face.

It broke her heart to see him cry, the usually scary man next door, but now here he was, blubbering like a baby, and she took back what she said.

"Please, NNY, please don't cry... I never meant to make you cry, I'm sorry..." Again, she squeezed his waist as if that would stave off his tears, but it appeared she'd opened a can of worms.

He just wouldn't stop.

Now she was crying right along with him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I only wanted to—"

Nny dropped to his knees, placing his arms around her, and he was... hugging her. But he was bad at it. It appeared no one had ever taught him how to hug. He crushed her face to his chest, pressing her a little too hard, and she almost choked. But then he eased off a little at the sound of her gasp.

At least he'd stopped crying, and Molly was glad as she patted his back. "It's okay, NNY. I won't tell anyone that you cried..."

"Th-thank you..." he whispered, holding on as if she was his life line. "I'm... so glad we're friends..."

Molly smiled, even though he couldn't see. "Me too, NNY. I'm glad I moved here after all. We never would have met."

"Yeah, me too... I don't believe in a divine being of any kind, and the ones I have met couldn't give two sh—poops whether I was happy or not, but... someone or something sent you my way, and... I have no idea why. I'm the least deserving of happiness..."

Molly wrapped her arms around his neck. "You make me happy, too, NNY."

"Molly, I... l-lo... lov—Ah, fudge!"

"It's okay. You don't have to say it back."

He trembled, never removing his arms away from her.

It was time they finally had cake.

Molly stepped back, pulling him over to the table. His false eyelashes had fallen off, but it didn't matter. There were tear streaks running down his blush too, and his lipstick was smudged, but Molly still loved him regardless (even though he was a mess).

When he sat down, she handed him a piece of cake. It had been hiding under a platter on the table, but he didn't touch it. Even when it beckoned to be eaten, he ignored it and continued to stare at his feet.

But that was fine. He could eat it when he was ready.

Whatever made him happiest.

What the hell else am I supposed to say? Love conquers all? I don't know, but this truly was cathartic for me to write. Truly beautiful.

Nny comes across so childlike himself at times, and that's what gets to me the most. He has this super high intellect; you can tell by the way he goes on and on in the comics since he's so long-winded, but his emotions are pretty much like that of a child's. Even Molly seems to have more emotional maturity, and it's sweet as heck.

Molly loves him unconditionally. What I find the most poignant is that she loves him no matter what, even if he won't ever love her back because of his pursuit for coldness. Even if he still pursues it, she doesn't want or expect anything from him.

She is too precious. We need more people like her in this world.