Hey guys! Back again with another fic for you all, this one a Pepper/Minka. I know this isn't the most popular ship, but it was a request for a tumblr follower and I kind of liked writing these two together. Here you have it!
"Pink peony… with a hint of rose…"
The pink monkey's nose was raised high in the air. She took another breath.
"Rose… and lavender, too?"
From behind the bush, Minka giggled. She knew it, oh, she knew it now—Pepper. For the past few minutes, the monkey had been waiting eagerly for a victim for her prank.
Her plan was simple, but it was enough to make her giddy with excitement—she was to place a water balloon filled with paint directly underfoot of the bush that hid her from view. Then, she would lure one of her unsuspecting friends behind the bush with a call for help. When the poor pet ran to help, the paint would splatter all over themselves and the ground. A great source of inspiration for her artwork, and also one fantastic prank.
She giggled again, trying hard not to shuffle about in her excitement. She had kept still for quite some time. An impressive feat—for Minka, at least. But now, as the scent of rose and lilacs danced in her nostrils, she realized her time had come.
Still, she knew who she was up against. Pepper was the master of pranks. As a comedian, she lived off of the thrill of wrapping someone up in a well-thought-out ploy.
Oh well, thought Minka with a slight shrug to herself, it's now or never. I can't hold still much longer. Eek, I can't wait to pull this off!
It was only when the monkey opened her mouth to call Pepper over to the other side that she noticed it.
A single gold coin.
Minka's eyes opened wide.
Oh no. Oh, no no no no, she panicked inwardly. I can't just leave now… I've got my prank… She was starting to lose the battle. But… so shiny.
She felt the urge over take her. She knew she was going to lose her chance, but there was no WAY she could resist a shiny object. With a brief moment of pause, she let her instincts take over. She darted towards the shiny coin, which was placed precariously in front of… her water balloon?
Before she knew it, Minka was covered with her own paint. Not even taking a moment to realize the irony, she moved quickly forward, grabbing her prize that glittered right in front of the bush. Her tiny pink hands seized it, and her eyes glistened with excitement.
"Shiny, shiny, shiny!" she chattered eagerly. She was too overwhelmed by her victory to examine her prize, which slowly removed itself from her hand as she vibrated up and down in glee.
She took another moment to notice the coin's absence, then another to realize that her prize was indeed attached to a small white string. Some part of Minka realized what was going on, but again she let herself succumb to the instinct to chase.
Paint still splattering all around her, Minka jumped after the coin. She wrestled with it briefly before it disappeared behind the bush.
She did not hesitate this time. She hurled herself through the bush and out into the open, pouncing upon the coin. When she had it covered up with her pink hands, she grinned. She had not yet bothered to look up from her conquest.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" A voice rang out from above Minka. The pink monkey started with a jump. She was finally able to divert her attention from the coin onto the owner of the voice, who was none other than Pepper herself.
Her mind clear, Minka realized what had just happened.
"Oh," the paint-covered monkey said flatly. "It's you, Pepper."
"You're darn right, it's me," the skunk said with a grin. "And from the looks of it, YOU fell for my prank… heehee, and your own prank, too".
She burst out into her signature laugh as Minka's eyes narrowed.
"W-well, I KNEW it was you! I mean, I could smell you from a mile away. I don't think that was fair of you, Pepper, you know how I am with shiny objects!" Minka protested. She wasn't too upset about the whole thing, but she did want another chance to prove herself to her comedian friend.
"And since you were so unfair about the whole thing, I'm going to demand a rematch!"
Pepper looked confused. "A rematch?" she said. "What for? I beat you fair and square. I think you're just upset I got you, is all!"
As Pepper spoke, Minka's gears once again started to turn. She had an idea, and a brilliant one at that.
"Hm, well, since you got me once, can't you just do it again? What are you afraid of, Pep? Little old me?"
The monkey was smiling as she said all of this, but Pepper knew there was something up her sleeve. She recognized the glint in Minka's eyes all too well. Still, she couldn't let a slight towards her prankster abilities go unpunished.
She took the bait. "I did it once, I can do it a hundred times—you're on!"
Minka smiled resolutely. "Fine then. Let me catch you by surprise. It may not be so much of a prank as it is a surprise but oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Just think of it as a pie to the face—"
Interrupting her own sentence, the monkey hopped up from the ground. The coin was momentarily forgotten—there was another prize to be had. The paint was still splattering all around Minka, rolling off of her in little swirled rivulets that turned her body from a bright pink to a vivid mix of colors. She took a moment to stand facing Pepper, and then, in one quick, fluid motion, darted over to the skunk, leaned in close to her face, planted a sloppy, colorful kiss on her cheek, and hopped back into the bushes. In her typical Minka fashion, she did all of this before Pepper could even bat an eyelash.
Minka did not look back through the bushes to see Pepper's face; she knew well enough that the skunk was blushing bright red under all of the paint Minka had gotten onto her. Still, though, Minka had to present another challenge to her friend. The game still had to be played.
She raised her voice to an eager holler.
"Round two's winner is Minka Mark. Round three, in five, four, three, two—!"
Hope you all enjoyed, and keep those requests coming. Your request has a higher chance of being posted if you follow me or inbox me on tumblr, as I'm trying to get started over there. Keep in mind, though, that I move in to college in two weeks and will not have a lot of time for requests as I am settling down and everything.
My tumblr is doctornevla, hope to see you there! I will definitely still accept and publish requests here, too.