Our Nest Egg

Chapter 3

XoxoxoxoxoX

Author's Note: Thank you for the kind feedback, as always!

This one will focus on Vinnie and Penny Ling. As some of you know, I've written an ongoing story involving these two, but not in a way that supports the pairing (my OTP for Vinnie is Buttercream, no doubt). But I absolutely adore this ship and it's getting pretty close to being tied with my OTP for Vinnie. Darn your cuteness, Penny Ling!

XoxoxoxoxoX

Motherhood was always dream of Penny Ling's. While it was pretty natural for most females to long for their own brood, being a panda, it was definitely a stronger desire than most. Although pandas were very rare due to illegal hunting (even with the somewhat recent strict protection of them), producing new ones was such a scarce achievement in and of itself, with or without the endangered status! That was why it was such a great spectacle when a baby panda was born into the world. She could remember, shortly after opening her eyes for the first time, just how many people from all walks of life admired and loved her just for being there, for existing.

All of that love and attention being showered on something so young and new might have been a little intimidating, to be sure, but Penny Ling grew to really appreciate it. As timid as she was, she still held a lot of confidence and assurance in herself. Not only did she want a child of her own to love and bring up right, she wanted it to feel that same sense of love and appreciation she had witnessed. What more could a mother ask for?

Well, it just being an egg, that's not really possible, she thought with a small giggle. But it's something!

"Penny Ling, what are you doing?" Vinnie asked cautiously. Penny Ling was wrapping something purple and pink around the middle of their egg.

"I'm giving it something nice to wear, of course," Penny Ling replied, as if it were obvious. Vinnie's eye twitched.

"Why give it a kimono? Why give it anything at all! It's an egg!" Vinnie said, motioning to it wildly. Penny Ling sat up straight and placed her paws on her ample hips.

"Vinnie, can't you take this a bit more seriously?" the panda scolded. Vinnie just looked at her. "Yes, in reality, it's an egg. But the point of this whole thing is to treat it like a child, our own offspring. Don't you want to treat it with care?"

Vinnie glanced back at the motionless egg and smoothed out his dark green frill. It was just really hard to look at the egg and think of it as a living, breathing creature that he was responsible for.

I mean, a kid? MY kid? If this was a real lizard kid, it'd be all over the place!

"I don't know. This just seems kinda stupid," he commented flatly. Penny Ling suddenly got an idea.

"It's not stupid at all, actually!"

"Huh?"

"Vinnie, you're a lizard, right?" Penny went on, leaning in.

"Yeah..." Vinnie said slowly, wondering what was up with her. "So?"

"So~" Penny Ling gently took his shoulders. "Lizards have eggs! This should really be something you should get into! One day, if you want, you'll be having eggs of your own. You'd have to help take care of it until it hatched, and even after that."

Vinnie's eyes widened. How couldn't he have thought of that before? Sure, he wasn't even sure he wanted kids, but if he ever did, this was his chance to see how he could handle the responsibility. Everyone always doubted his ability to take things seriously, and he wanted to prove to himself that he could handle it. Maybe this wasn't such a waste of time after all!

"You know what? You're absolutely right, Penny Ling!" Vinnie said with a grin. "Let's get started."

Penny beamed down at him. "That's the spirit, Vinnie! Now, what name should we give him? Her?"

"I think I'd like a boy," Vinnie offered. "That cool with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine!" Penny Ling agreed. "I honestly wouldn't mind either."

"How about Ace for the name? That's perfect if he's gonna tear up the dance floor like his ol' dad," Vinnie said proudly, doing a few quick dance steps. Penny Ling rolled her eyes playfully.

"That's a good name."

"Alright, now that that's settled, I think we should start teaching this kid how to be a dancer," Vinnie said confidently. "Watch and learn, son!"

"Vinnie, just be careful," Penny Ling said warily, watching the green gecko do a wild jig around their egg. Rudeness wasn't her intention, but it was no secret how clumsy her friend could be. "He's just a baby."

"Don't sweat it," Vinnie dismissed, continuing his dancing. "It'll be fine."

He's right, Penny Ling reasoned, picking up her favorite dance ribbons. Don't be a Russel! Parenthood is supposed to be a joy.

With this in mind, Penny Ling joined her scaly friend in teaching their little egg the wonders of dance. While Vinnie tap-danced around in his usual hyper-fast style, Penny Ling spun around gracefully and let the air catch her ribbons delicately. Before she knew it, she was consumed with the dance, forgetting all about her surroundings and losing herself completely to her true passion in life. Her imagination took her back to her native homeland, full of crunchy bamboo, the traditional Chinese people, the beautiful fauna, the –

Crack!

Her purple eyes snapped open. Slowly, she forced herself to look down and her heart sank at the sight of the yellow, jello-like substance just a foot away. Vinnie's look of horror matched her own.

After what seemed like an eternity, she found her voice. "I... I...!"

"I'm so sorry, Penny Ling!" Vinnie said, remorse thick in his voice. He bent down and picked up one half of the cracked shell, looking as if he could barely believe what just happened. "Oh man... I can't believe I let myself get so carried away!" he wailed. He looked up at her with eyes filled with guilt. "I should have never suggested that. Now, Ace is..." he swallowed. "He's..."

Penny Ling's voice cracked as she said, "V-Vinnie, no, it's –"

"It's not okay!" he snapped, though the anger was directed more towards himself than at the girl next to him. "I can't do anything right. I really do just mess everything up! It's no wonder people think I'm dumb."

Penny Ling broke out in tears, collapsing onto the floor. Vinnie looked on, bewildered, as tears flowed freely from the little panda's eyes and her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. He walked over and awkwardly patted her back in an attempt to console her. His guilt was being amplified more with each passing second. It was bad enough to mess up, but he absolutely despised himself for making Penny Ling cry. It was one of those things that really got to him.

"I'm so sorry," he said again, sighing deeply.

"Vinnie, no. It's not y-your fault," Penny Ling managed to say, swiping at the seemingly endless flow of tears. "It's my fault. It was me!"

"What?"

"It was me, Vinnie. I was so wrapped up in my silly dancing that I bumped right into it with my hip and... and you know the rest," she sniffled. She peered at him through her wet eyes, trying to stop herself from trembling. "I'm really, truly sorry. You're not a screw-up, Vinnie. I am. After all that about being careful, it was me who hurt Ace in the end," she said pitifully, glancing towards their broken "child." "I should have never joined in."

Vinnie smiled softly. "Penny Ling, don't cry. I really hate to see you cry. Really. I do," he laughed, lifting up a drenched foot from the growing puddle that was born from her stream of tears. Penny Ling couldn't help but laugh through her sadness.

"S-Sorry," she apologized. "I really am just a big crybaby sometimes."

"I'm okay with that," he replied, taking her paws and helping her up. Penny Ling frowned once more.

"I know it was just an egg, but... this was really important to me," Penny Ling admitted. "How can I ever be a good mother one day if I let myself get so distracted?"

"It's okay, Penny Ling. It was just a little project. No harm is done, really," Vinnie reasoned. How could he honestly be upset with her? "It was an accident. Lesson learned. We need to be very careful around kids and not forget about them for one second."

Penny Ling smiled, nodding. "That's very true, Vinnie. That's a very good thing to remember."

"Now come on, let's go ask Blythe for help cleaning this up," Vinnie grinned, still holding onto her hand. He had meant to let go as soon as she was back on her feet, but the fact that Penny Ling didn't seem to mind... well, who was he to object?

"For what it's worth, I think you'd be a great father one day," Penny Ling said softly, letting him lead her towards Blythe. Vinnie smiled and blushed.

"Coming from a great Ma like you? That means a whole lot."

XoxoxoxoxoX

Author's Note: Wahh, I gotta get away from this ship. It's too fluffy. XD

Thanks for reading!