AN: BraveKid very, very badly wants to see a Nosedive/Mallory romance and I've decided to give it to him. This story absolutely does fit in with my timeline and previous stories, so it might help if you've at least read Night Terrors, Welcome to Earth (chapter 3, A Tour of the Pond), and Snow Skip. If you're not a Nosedive/Mallory shipper, please don't disregard this story and move on; you might change your mind by the end! For those of you who do enjoy a bit of Dive/Mal romance, I hope you're not too disappointed with the way I handle things.

This particular story is completely written and waiting to be uploaded. Updates will occur once a week on Tuesdays. I'm doing something a little experimental with this tale... The story is taking place in real time. Today is March 4th both now and in the story. Each update will take place in real time, so do pay attention to dates.

Now, on to the shortest chapter! Don't worry, the next one is quite a bit longer ;)

Date: March 4, 1997

"Come on, Mallory. Please?" Nosedive's pleading tone was accompanied by the most pitiful, sad eyes he could muster.

Mallory had seen less pathetic puppies begging for food. He may be young, but he certainly knew exactly how to manipulate her when the need arose. And, he had caught her in one of the few parts of their base they could almost be assured of privacy: the armory. That was her domain and few other than Wildwing dared enter without her prior approval. The fact that he had come in here just proved how desperate he really was. Everyone knew better than to risk setting off her temper when weapons were around, not that her fists and words couldn't inflict plenty of damage when she was riled.

"Fine," she sighed, arms crossed. "But we have to be careful. You're still a minor. We really don't need the press to get a hold of this. Can you imagine the publicity mess we'd have to clean up?"

"So? My birthday's next week. And it's not like seventeen is a minor on Puckworld."

"So, I don't want to be accused of going after the team captain's younger brother when he's still illegal according to human laws! We'll keep it a secret until after your birthday."

He paused for a moment, considering how long they had been on the planet, how long he'd known Mallory, and the short amount of time between now and his birthday. Five days really wasn't that long to wait. He could be patient when the need called for it. This whole thing with Mallory was certainly worth the short delay. It didn't cost him anything to bend to her wishes this time and it might actually gain him a whole lot.

"Okay," he agreed.

"Are you sure you can keep this from Wildwing?" Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, clearly doubting his ability to hide anything from his brother.

"Tchyeah! No problemo." He grinned evilly. "He still doesn't know how his favorite jersey ended up neon pink when he was nine. If I can keep that secret for eleven years, I think I can keep this one for a few more days."

"I don't know… Even if you can keep quiet, I don't like hiding things from him. He is team captain and secrets like this can tear a team apart."

"I promise, I'll tell him when the time is right."

"Okay," she nodded, apparently satisfied that this could actually work. "But, I have a few conditions of my own."

"Name them." Mallory had finally agreed; he was willing to meet just about any condition she could come up with. No pranks for a month? Sure! Clean her gear? If she'd let him actually touch it, no problem. Cook dinner on her nights for the rest of the year? Absolutely! In fact, that would probably be doing the whole team a favor.

She held up a finger with each requirement, emphasizing exactly what she wanted.

"It's real, it's big, and I get to keep it."

Ouch. Yeah, he hadn't really thought about it that far in advance. Still, he had money to spare. There were worse things he could spend it on than gifts for the most beautiful duck on the planet.

"Deal." He grinned deviously as he spread his arms wide. "Hug on it?"

"Hah!" She couldn't help but laugh at him and that earnest expression on his face. "Why not?"

They were both smiling when they finally broke apart from the embrace.

"I'll, uh," he cleared his throat. "I'll see you later, then."

"Sure." She turned her attention back to cleaning the dismantled puck blaster laid out on the table next to her.

The quick glance and charming smile he threw back at her as he exited caused him to miss the doorway by a few inches. He walked straight into the door frame. Laughing nervously, he quickly took a step to the right and hurried out.

Chuckling quietly to herself, she couldn't help but think over the strange conversation they'd just had. That smile on Nosedive's face when he left was so cute, not to mention the whole idea he had proposed. Truthfully, she was amazed that his cheerfulness and joking had survived the slave camps. That bright nature was the one thing that had kept her from killing him herself on numerous occasions, not that she'd admit it to him or anyone else. It was what made him such a great asset to the team, even if he could be a little annoying at times.

It was nice to be on his side. Who knew? If this whole thing worked out, they'd most likely be partners in the future.