Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose

Disclaimer: Since you don't believe me, I have decided to let Mack do the disclaimer.

Mack: Overdrive Red does not own Operation Overdrive, but she does have great taste in pennames, if you ask me. Can I please go flirt with Rose now?

Challenge: Dare

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: Dax and Will dare Mack to show some affection.

Dax groaned loudly as he tried to snap Mack back to reality. "Oh come on, Mack. Take your turn already, would you?" he asked, waving his hand in front of the red ranger's face. Mack was still staring longingly at Rose when Will dropped his video game controller and walked over to his teammates. He snickered at Mack's expression.

"No use trying, Dax," said Will. "He's a lost cause."

Mack frowned at the black ranger. "It's not my fault, Will. She's just so… I don't know." He leaned on his pool cue, still gazing at his pink ranger, who had her pretty face buried in her book and headphones in her ears, oblivious to the three boys on the other side of the room. "Beautiful doesn't begin to describe her."

"Oh boo hoo," retorted Will. "If you like her so much, why don't you just go over and tell her?" Mack rolled his eyes.

"Go flirt with Ronny."

"She's not home," replied Will without skipping a beat. "And stop trying to change the subject, Hartford. Seriously, why don't you go talk to her if you think he's so pretty?"

"You want to know why, Will? Because I feel like a total and complete idiot whenever I'm around her. I don't know what to say and I get nervous and my pulse rate doubles…"

Will shook his head and held up a hand. "All right Mack, that's enough. We don't want to know all of the gory details. If you can't tell her, why don't you just show her?"

Mack's jaw dropped. "What, like kiss her?" Will nodded.

"Now you get it. That's exactly what you should do."

"I couldn't do that. She'd hate me. See this is a one-sided crush, Will. Rose doesn't like me as anything but a friend. And I'm not going to ruin that by kissing her."

Dax smiled slyly. "We dare you tom Mack. Now you have to, or you'll be chicken. And once you're chicken, you'll never be able to live it down." Will cackled.

"I never thought I'd say this, Dax, but you're a genius. Yeah, Mack, we dare you to go kiss her." The black ranger folded his arms and began flapping them around as Dax made chicken noises.

"Fine, fine," grumbled Mack. He let the pool cue drop to the floor and strode across the game room to the couch in the corner. Rose looked up as he sat himself next to her. She removed her headphones.

"Something I can help you with?"

Mack nodded and leaned in closer to her. "See, Dax and Will kinda dared me to do something," he whispered conspiratorially. Rose turned her head sp that she was looking into his too-blue eyes.

"Oh, and what's that?"

"This," said Mack, and he kissed her. He pulled away a moment later. "You know, Rose, I kinda like dares."