I do not own The Mr. Men Show or any of its characters, but I do own Elizabeth and the idea for this story.


"The landscaping needs work."

Mr. Nosy glanced over his shoulder to see the small Mr. Man pushing his way through the tall grass, his hat just barely visible. Any other time, Mr. Nosy would offer to pick him up so he didn't have to struggle, but after realizing how much has changed between the friends, he just couldn't bring himself to help him.

When they were out of the overgrown yard, Mr. Small looked up at Mr. Nosy. "How do you plan on figuring out what happened?" he questioned.

"I was going to ask myself," the light green Mr. Man answered, recalling watching his counterpart walk down the sidewalk. It looked like he was in the middle of town where a lot of people would surely be.

I need to get him alone.

"You can't do that." The voice of his friend broke into Mr. Nosy's thoughts.

Frustration rose in him. He was getting tired of the small Mr. Man telling him what he can and can't do. That's the only reason he wanted to stay, just so he can continue to order me around!

But out of curiosity, he asked," Why not?"

"Think!" Mr. Small snapped as he glared up at him. "If people see two of you, they will know something is up. Besides, you from this world will ask you who you are and a bunch of other questions, because, well, he's you." His eyes narrowed when he finished talking, and Mr. Nosy knew that was meant to be an insult. Still, he had to admit that he had a point. He wanted to talk to his counterpart, but since there's already one Mr. Nosy here, he couldn't risk anyone seeing him near the light green Mr. Man from this Dillydale.

Reluctantly he asked," How do you suppose we found out then?"

He didn't like that smug smile that crossed Mr. Small's face. Just asking him that question proved that the small Mr. Man had been right: He couldn't do anything without him.

"It wouldn't be too suspicious if we talked to each other's counterpart," Mr. Small explained, but Mr. Nosy didn't fully understand what he meant. Seeming to notice this, the small Mr. Man sighed and clarified," I go talk to your counterpart while you go talk to mine."

Mr. Nosy thought about what he said for a moment and then nodded, realizing that made the most sense. "This world's Mr. Nosy is—"

"In town," Mr. Small interrupted him, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I know. I saw him in the telescope, too. I'm not stupid," he added in a low voice as he glanced at the light green Mr. Man which made Mr. Nosy wonder if he thought he was stupid. But before he could ask, the small man went on," You go to the park and talk to my counterpart. Convince him to come back here with you, but try not to mention the portal if you can help it."

Mr. Nosy didn't like how he was talking to him slowly like he was giving instructions to a child. "Okay," he muttered, suddenly wanting to get away from the small Mr. Man who used to be his closest friend. He started heading down the sidewalk, toward the park, and he didn't look back.

Soon the entrance of the park came into view, and he hurried along, eager to find out why the friends' house was basically in ruins. As he walked the pathway that would take him to the center of the park, he noticed the looks the Mr. Men and Little Misses gave him as he passed. It confused him, and he felt a little unsettled when they would whisper to one another while glancing in his direction.

What's going on? he wondered. He thought about stopping to ask somebody, but his mind was focused on one thing: Finding this world's Mr. Small.

Relief washed over him when he finally spotted the small Mr. Man. However, that relief quickly turned to disappointment. Mr. Bump was now sitting on the bench with Mr. Small; they seemed to be deep in conversation.

I don't want to interrupt them, Mr. Nosy thought. As he stood there, wondering how he was going to get his friend's counterpart away from the accident-prone Mr. Man, he noticed Mr. Small turning to look at him, his eyes starting to shine. Mr. Bump glanced at him, too, but there was a hard expression on his face like he wasn't happy to see him.

Mr. Small jumped off the bench and ran to him, skidding to a halt when he was in front of him. Mr. Bump followed more slowly, stopping a few paces away as he eyed Mr. Nosy up and down.

"Great McGillicuddy!" the small Mr. Man gasped. "Wh-What are you doing here, Nose?" Suddenly he looked alarmed and he quickly said," I-I mean, Mr. Nosy…"

"Yes, what are you doing here?" Mr. Bump echoed Mr. Small's question. He sounded like he was upset with Mr. Nosy but why?

The light green Mr. Man blinked down at them, smiling when he saw how happy Mr. Small was to see him. It reminded him of the time he used to be close to his Mr. Small. He missed that, but right now he couldn't think about the past. "I was looking for Mr. Small," he told them, and he noticed that Mr. Bump's eyes narrowed when he said that.

"Really?" Mr. Small's tone was hopeful, but before Mr. Nosy could reply to him, the small Mr. Man turned to Mr. Bump. "Can you please leave us alone for a while?"

"Are you sure?" the accident-prone Mr. Man checked, still eyeing Mr. Nosy.

"Yes."

"Okay, but if you need me, I'll be by the fountain." Mr. Bump gave Mr. Nosy one last look before walking off, leaving the two so they could talk in private.

As soon as Mr. Bump was gone, Mr. Small turned back to Mr. Nosy. "I can't believe you're here!" he exclaimed, jumping with glee.

Mr. Nosy blinked down at him. "Why wouldn't I be here?" he asked without thinking, but when he saw the confusion on Mr. Small's face, he realized that he might have already given himself away.

But there's no way for me to find out what happened without asking questions, Mr. Nosy thought.

The small Mr. Man frowned. "The last time I saw you, you told me that you never wanted to see me again." Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Does this mean you finally forgave me?"

"Forgave you?" the light green Mr. Man echoed. "Forgave you for what?"

Mr. Small looked slightly worried as he stared up at Mr. Nosy. "Are you okay, Mr. Nosy? You don't seem like yourself."

The Mr. Man from another world sighed softly. I don't have a choice; I have to tell him the truth. He remembered his best friend warning him not to mention the portal if he didn't have to, but he wasn't getting anywhere hiding his true identity. He had to reveal that he wasn't the Mr. Nosy who lived in this Dillydale if he was going to get answers to his questions.

"There's something you need to know," he started, and the small Mr. Man from this universe listened with a shocked expression as he explained that he wasn't from here and that he came through a portal with the other Mr. Small.

When Mr. Nosy was done confessing, the orange man looked away and closed his eyes. "I knew it was too good to be true," he whispered, seeming to have accepted that Mr. Nosy wasn't who he thought he was without needing any proof. He was silent for a moment or two before turning back to Mr. Nosy and asking," Are you still friends with your Mr. Small?"

That question took him by surprise, and he wasn't sure how to answer at first. But then he saw the hope in the small Mr. Man's eyes start to fade the longer Mr. Nosy hesitated. Finally the light green Mr. Man nodded, deciding that he was already suffering enough. There was no need to tell him that he was getting tired of his Mr. Small always bossing him around and acting like Mr. Nosy couldn't do anything right.

For his sake I can pretend we are still friends.

Suddenly he remembered why he came here in the first place, and now that Mr. Small knew the truth, he could ask any questions he wanted without having to worry about giving anything away. "What happened to the observatory?" When the small Mr. Man blinked up at him in surprise, he explained," The portal opened up in the closet, but we saw that nobody's lived there for a long time so we decided to split up to figure out what happened."

"Oh." Mr. Small lowered his eyes to his sneakers. "When Mr. Nosy left, I couldn't stay there anymore, so I sold the rest of the furniture and moved out. I now live with Mr. Bump," he added as he gestured to the accident-prone Mr. Man who was standing by the fountain, just within sight.

"Why did he leave?" the light green Mr. Man pried.

When he asked that, Mr. Small looked up, the regret and misery clear on his face. "I made a terrible mistake," he confessed, and he closed his eyes and turned away again.

Before Mr. Nosy could press the subject anymore, Mr. Bump came walking up. "Is everything okay over—" He broke off when he saw Mr. Small looking upset and he pulled him in for a hug. "Are you okay, Mr. Small?" he asked him, but he didn't give the small Mr. Man enough time to reply. He looked up at Mr. Nosy, his eyes flashing with anger. "What did you do to him this time?" he demanded.

Mr. Nosy was taken aback by the accusation. "I didn't do anything to him!" he insisted.

"Am I really supposed to believe that?" Mr. Bump retorted. "All you do now is hurt him! Why don't you just leave him alone?"

Mr. Nosy opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out— not that he even knew what to say— Mr. Small pulled away from Mr. Bump. "It's okay, Mr. Bump," he assured the accident-prone Mr. Man. "He didn't do anything to me. In fact," he quickly added," he invited me out to lunch."

The light green Mr. Man blinked down at him. "I did?"

"Yes," Mr. Small answered, glancing at him before turning back to Mr. Bump.

Mr. Bump's mouth opened in shock. Then he seemed to pull himself together and asked Mr. Small," Are you sure you want to go?"

Mr. Small nodded. "We have a lot to talk about." He started walking away, grabbing Mr. Nosy's hand as he passed. "I'll see you back home later!" he called out to Mr. Bump as they left.

Mr. Nosy let the small man drag him away. "Where are we going?" he questioned.

"You said you split up? You and your Mr. Small?" The small Mr. Man looked up at him, and Mr. Nosy nodded, wondering why he wanted to know that. Mr. Small remained silent until they were out of the park. Then he confessed," This might be my only chance to talk to Mr. Nosy and try to fix things between us."


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