At sixteen, Timmy Turner did not consider himself to be all that confident, even if this sentiment was not shared by his friends. Chester and AJ constantly reminded him of the fact that he was the first(and only) person to stand up to the red-headed witch known as Vicki Valentine. And it was likely for this very reason that said witch's sister was so enamored with him for the better part of her early and mid-teens.

Timmy didn't consider himself all that confident, however. If he was indeed so confident, why was he currently going to his junior prom alone? A supposedly confident(if slightly awkward) teen like himself really shouldn't have had all that much trouble finding a prospective date, should he?

The problem, however, was not that Timmy wasn't confident enough to ask a girl out. On the contrary, he had asked quite a few girls to the prom. Most well-known being Trixie, Veronica, and yes, even Tootie. Alas, all the girls he asked had already been asked by(and agreed to go with) other people.

So the brunet found himself at a loss as he sat with his friends(and Veronica) at their lunch table.

"So how's the quest for booty- I mean, a date going?" Chester asked rather smart-assedly, causing his date(Veronica) to giggle at his mediocre attempt at humor.

Timmy rolled his eyes at his friend's joke. High school humor about girls and their various... 'assets' was funny... In freshman year. As they were all juniors on the cusp of entering their senior year(with Chester barely making the grade), the blond's brand of humor had lost a bit of its original edge. "Might have to go it alone this year." Timmy shrugged. He wasn't all that perturbed by his lack of a date, it wouldn't stop him from having a good time at the prom, and he could steal someone elses girl right out from under them if he tried hard enough...

"Alone?! Nah man, you gotta find yourself a date. Nobody wants to be the guy that shows up to their junior prom alone. I'm not gonna let you do that to yourself."

Much as he appreciated Chester's loyalty towards being his friend, he couldn't help but challenge him on this particular argument. "So I assume you've got some girl's number hidden away in your pocket for me?"

"As a matter of fact!" Chester shouted triumphantly, almost shocking the brunet. "I don't."

Almost.

"What a surprise. Anyone else?" Timmy looked across the table at AJ, who was in turn looking across the cafeteria at his own prom date, a one Trixie Tang. "AJ?"

"Wha... No, sorry. I have to work on my science project with Trixie..."

"Right, science project." As far as Timmy was concerned, AJ could have Trixie. The only reason he had asked her to the prom was because he needed someone to go with. Tootie's brand of obsessive insanity was infinitely preferable to Trixie's constant need for attention. And Tootie had never tried to murder him, so there was that. "Speaking of Tootie..."

The bespectacled girl sat directly across from him and was currently texting someone. Someone like Remy. He could not for the life of him understand why Tootie would even consider giving Remy the time of day. Timmy honestly didn't hate too many people. Like really hate. But Remy had made the list, along with Crocker and Francis. He knew he'd have to keep an eye on the two of them. He and Tootie might not have been right for each other, but he'd be damned before he let someone hurt her.

Timmy looked down at his right hand to find it clenched into a fist. He took a deep breath and relaxed. If there were ever a time in which he felt he could understand Vicki's overprotective side for her sister, thinking about Remy and Tootie dating could bring that feeling out.

"Y'know..." Tootie spoke up as she placed her phone down on the table and looked Timmy right in the eyes. "I may know someone that you could take to the prom..."

Without her saying anything more, Timmy already knew who Tootie was talking about. "You're out of your mind."

"Hey, I'm just sayin', these two are always saying you're cool as ice when it comes to confidence, so why not do it?"

"How about because-"

"Who're we talking about?" Veronica interrupted Tootie and Timmy.

"Nobody important. Would you excuse us? I think I hear Tootie's psychiatrist calling." Timmy stood up from the table, walked around said table, and took Tootie's hand in his own. "Come along now, Toots."

Tootie stood up and turned to look at Timmy. "What did I say about nickna- Ah!" Only to be quickly yanked into the hallway outside the cafeteria.

Veronica looked at the doors as they swung shut, then looked at her prom date. "What was that all about?"

"Belligerent sexual tension. Those two are gonna bang each others brains out one day... Unless the universe collapses in on itself from the tension first."

In the hallway...

"What's the big idea?! People are gonna start saying things again after that!" despite the fact that she was attempting to reprimand her 'best friend', the smirk on her face was not aiding her in appearing mad.

"Are you seriously trying to set me up with the Devil herself?! I know I've done stupid things, but going to prom with Vicki?!"

"Hah. Convince yourself in vain all you want, try to remember that I sit with you, Chester and AJ pretty much all the time. I hear your conversations. All that talk about this girl being hot, that girl being banging..."

"Hey, I do not say things like that and you know it."

"Either way, you know Vicki's hot."

Was it odd for someone to say their sister is hot? Even if they're implying that you think that, not them? Timmy wasn't entirely sure... "I can admit that she's... attractive... though she's got the personality of a rattlesnake that just watched its family get murdered..."

"Aha! Knew it!" Tootie fist-pumped.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find someone our age that didn't know how mean Vicki is."

"No, I mean- Ugh, Nevermind. The point is... Think of how jealous the girls around here would be if they saw you take my sister to prom!"

"I don't care what they think, not really."

"Well... all the guys will think you're like... a sick badass-"

"And I really don't care what the guys think of me." Timmy was quickly losing interest in the conversation.

"Argh...! What have you got to lose?!"

"Well let's see, if she kills me, I'll lose my life, which I rather enjoy, so-"

"Oh grow up. Vicki's never laid a hand on any of us and you know it." Tootie said matter-of-factly.

"There's this saying you should look up: 'There's a first time for everything', ring any bells?"

"You- You owe me!" Tootie was clearly grasping at straws now.

"For what?!" Timmy realized he was practically yelling now, but also knew Tootie wasn't about to back down... He might just have to relent if he was to avoid an even bigger headache...

"The... the next time!"

"...The next time. That's the best you can do?"

"Yep! You owe me for the next time I help you, and I will help you."

This had to be her absolute lamest excuse/reasoning yet. "Just gimme her number..." Timmy facepalmed and held out his free hand.

"You'll thank me for this, I'm saving you the embarrassment of showing up date-less!" Tootie reached into her pocket and produced a small slip of paper.

"Great, she planned this." "Right, instead of dying of embarrassment, I'll die from having every bone in my body shattered..."

"Maybe you'll get lucky and only have the most important bone shattered." Tootie winked and returned to the cafeteria.

"...That was the worst attempt at sexual innuendo I've heard. Today." Timmy did his best to ignore his thoughts as they drifted toward Vicki and the myriad ways she would kill him...

Later...

Timmy sat at the kitchen table grimacing at his cell phone as it rested on said table. He was not looking forward to this. Tootie's entire plan hinged on Vicki actually wanting to go to the prom in the first place. If she did, she'd probably just finish the night by ripping his skin off. If she didn't, she'd likely never let him live down that he was asking his babysitter out... Well, ex-babysitter, but still.

BUZZ

Timmy scooped up his phone and answered it. "Hello?" "Thank goodness, anything to put off-"

"So I noticed that you haven't called Vicki yet..."

"Stop shipping me with your sister!" Timmy hung up and slammed his phone down on the table. "I wish I had a magic eight-ball..."

Said item appeared before the buck-toothed teen.

He was quite impressed with himself for making the wish that Cosmo and Wanda could hear the wishes he made from anywhere. "Thanks! Ahem... Magic eight ball, is there any chance for this to go well?" Timmy shook the magic eight-ball and looked at it.

The word 'No' appeared on it.

"Jeez, how negative." Timmy tossed the eight-ball away and grabbed his phone. "Okay, here we go." he took out the piece of paper Tootie gave him and dialed the number.

"Hello?" an oddly even-toned voice answered the phone.

Timmy found himself temporarily speechless. The last thing he expected was for Vicki to answer the phone like a normal, not-evil person. He did expect an animalistic growl, or an annoyed 'What' at the very least... Then again, Vicki didn't know it was Timmy calling her, not yet anyway. "Um... Hi... Is this... Vicki?"

"Yep. Who's this?"

"...Timmy." he could hear the deafening silence from the other end of the line after that. "...Vicki?"

"...What do you want?" And like that, the even-toned voice was gone, replaced by one that literally dripped with disdain.

Actually, he hadn't really talked to Vicki in quite some time. He saw her now and then at the grocery store, or just around the neighborhood, but neither of them ever spoke to each other, Timmy because he was afraid of what she might do to him now that she no longer babysat him, and Vicki he assumed didn't talk to him because she hated him. "How... um- how are you?"

"Is there an actual reason you're calling me? You have kids that need babysitting? Or do you just miss your favorite babysitter?"

"Miss you?" Timmy thought to himself. "Yeah, I miss you like I miss the black plague..." "Well... I just thought I'd... check in, see how you're doing...?"

"Tootie give you this number?"

"...No..."

"...You're lying."

"Fuckin'-" "Alright fine, yeah, she gave me your number." "Should've known there was no point in trying to lie..."

"So I'll ask again. What. Do. You. Want?" he was setting a new record for time it took to annoy the red-head.

"I told you... Just checking in..."

"Three seconds, then I'm hanging up."

"I-! You wanna go to my junior prom with me?!" Timmy surprised himself as he shouted the words out without stumbling over them.

There was no response, and for a second or two, Timmy thought she really did hang up on him.

"Vicki?"

"Could you repeat that? I think I had something crazy in my ear."

Timmy found himself imagining Vicki picking her ear disinterestedly. "I um... I don't really have anyone to go to prom with... and the guys... and Tootie... have been telling me I can't show up alone, so...?"

"So you thought you'd ask me?"

"Well... yeah..." Why was it so odd for her to consider this idea? She was a girl, and she was certainly attractive... Hell, Timmy could even admit(only to himself) that she was pretty, once you got past the murderous rage and hatred of all living things. And he was a boy that needed a date for prom... Oh right. You asked girls to prom that you like. She was pretty, but he didn't like her. And though he obviously couldn't know her feelings, he figured it was safe to assume that she didn't like him.

"You're either still the dumbest kid I know, or the years have made you suicidally overconfident. Pick one."

"...It's probably a little of both." he heard Vicki chuckle over the phone. "But I'm funny!"

"I'll give you that one."

"So...?"

"Nope."

"No?" In truth, Timmy wasn't all that disappointed by her response, though he still wanted a good reason.

"'Fraid not. I've got better things to do than go to prom with you. Find some other girl."

"There is no other girl! Even Tootie has a date! C'mon..."

"Again, no. Why would I want to demean myself by going to prom with a sixteen year old anyway?"

"...You'd be helping me? I wouldn't look like a loser. Oh! And you're a..." Timmy swallowed the bile rising in his throat as his brain attempted to make him say what he really didn't want to say.

"I'm...?"

"A good person at heart...?" Timmy gagged silently.

He heard the distinct sound of Vicki sniffing. "Smell that? I smell bullshit, you?"

Okay, Timmy had to admit that that comment had really been pushing it. "What have you got to lose?"

"My dignity, for one. Um... My self-respect? There's another... My-"

"You... You owe me!"

"...Elaborate."

"For..." Timmy caught himself as he almost said 'The next time!'. "For... saving your life! ...More than once actually! Yeah!"

"You're kidding, right? All of our debts are settled, I-"

"Nuh-uh! I'm calling in the favor! You owe me for pushing you out of the way of that steamroller!"

Vicki sighed and facepalmed. "Pain in my ass..." she may have been a manipulative liar, a bitch, and an all around mean, unpleasant person, but Vicki did have some honor, and as much as she didn't want it to be true, the Twerp had a point. She did indeed owe him for saving her life. "...Fine."

"F-fine?! Really?! You'll go with me? C'mon, you're not bullshitting, right?"

"Nope. You want to take me to your little prom, fine. But we're even after this, got it? I don't wanna hear-"

"I got it! We're even! So... I'll pick you up around eight, that all right?"

"Sure, whatever."

"Jeez, could you sound any more bored?" "See you then!"

Vicki hung up her phone and looked across the kitchen table at Tootie, who, despite being enthralled by her phone, bore a smug grin on her face. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

"I... plead the fifth."

"Right, of course you do." Vicki stood up from the table and grabbed her keys. "I have to go find a dress, tell Mom and Dad I should be back in time for dinner."

"A dress? Whatever for?"

"Bite me."

"Rude." Tootie returned her attention to her phone.

Timmy, on the other hand, was already quite prepared, considering the whole 'kid with fairy godparents' thing. He had little faith that prom night would go even remotely well... "But at least I'm not going alone!" Clearly the excitement of going to prom with someone was currently overriding the fact that he was going with someone who was more than likely going to kill him.

Later that week, Prom night...

The sixteen year-old brunet scratched at his neck and tried to get a bit of the cool air blowing from his car's air conditioner into his clothes. At present, he was driving to Vicki's house to pick her up, and he was well beyond nervous now.

He hadn't been at the beginning of the week, his so-called confidence bled through and subsumed any concerns... At first. As the week drew on, Timmy found himself growing more and more concerned about how this very night would play out. After all, he enjoyed living, and Vicki wasn't his babysitter anymore, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't kill him if he did something stupid, and with Vicki, there was no way of knowing what was and wasn't stupid in her book.

Now he found himself sweating a bit, and not just because the monkey suit he was wearing was hot. He was no longer looking forward to tonight, not at all. All he hoped now was for the night to be over as soon as possible, and with as little damage to his person as possible.

As he pulled up in front of Vicki's house, he looked at the long, black limousine sitting out front. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that it was obviously Remy's, and his assumption was confirmed as the waspy-sounding teen came out of the house with Tootie's arm looped around his own.

Timmy stepped out of his car and waved at Tootie as she noticed him. He had to admit, she looked pretty damn good. She wore a dark purple dress that reached down to just past her knees and fit her rather well. Her hair was down around her shoulders, rather than the more characteristic pigtail style that he generally associated her with, and she had apparently opted to wear contacts instead of her glasses. "Hi Timmy!" she and Remy met him in front of the limousine. "You look nice!"

Timmy looked himself over. "Eh... I'm not big on formal wear."

"Yet you're still wearing a tux, and you look good, so why not take the compliment?"

Timmy sighed dramatically. "Fine, thanks Tootie. You look great too."

"Careful Turner, that's my date you're checking out." Remy spoke up, haughty as ever.

"Here we go..." "Indeed she is, Remy. But she's also my best friend, so you'd better treat her with the respect she deserves." Timmy noticed how threatening his own voice sounded then, and attributed it to a sort of brotherly instinct.

"Now now..." Tootie interjected. "I don't need you two fighting over me... Let's just try to have a nice night, okay?"

"Of course, Tootie my dear." Remy grabbed Tootie's hand and kissed it, eliciting a blush from the raven-haired girl and a gag from the brunet.

"So anyway..." Timmy said a bit more forcefully than he probably should have. "We all gonna ride together or-"

"Mm. Sorry Turner. I already have a bunch of other people that I'm driving to the prom. Maybe next year?" Remy laughed haughtily as he opened the limo's door for Tootie.

"Er... sorry Timmy... See you there?"

"Yeah, see you..." Timmy watched Remy and Tootie get into the car, then watched it drive off. "I hate that guy..."

"Tell me about it."

"Aah!" Timmy nearly jumped three feet as Vicki's voice came from his left and scared him half to death. "How- how do you do that?!"

"I'm just really good at sneaking up on people." Vicki shrugged. "So how do I look?"

Timmy looked Vicki up and down once he was able to regulate his breathing and heart rate. Having not been this close to her in quite some time, Timmy realized that the red-head in front of him no longer towered over him. In fact, she had to only be a few inches taller than him now. Amazing how puberty can change someone.

"Still waiting."

Oh right, she probably wanted him to compliment her on her appearance. As usual, Vicki apparently opted to keep her hair in a ponytail. She was wearing lipstick, and... "Eye shadow?!" Timmy leaned in a bit closer and took a closer look at Vicki's face. She was indeed wearing a bluish-purple shade of eye shadow.

"Any closer and I might think you have different reasons for asking me to the prom than you originally said." she grinned at him slyly.

"Um!" Timmy stepped back as a light dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks. "I expected something... greener."

Vicki looked at the long black dress she wore. "I prefer black, but you wear all black and people start saying you're emo or goth... It gets annoying. You still haven't told me how I look."

"I take it you want me to be brutally honest?"

"I'd be insulted if you weren't."

"Well..." Timmy Turner found himself torn. Torn between wanting to tell Vicki the truth, and between the fact that he was practically expected by the universe to tell the evil witch a lie about her appearance. If he did lie, then he'd likely get slapped at some point. If he didn't... then she'd probably never let him live down the fact that he thought the girl that made his life miserable was... actually pretty attractive. "Confidence... What if my confidence kills me?" "You...'re just gonna tease me and make fun of me if I say it."

"Hm? ...With that kind of an answer, I think you've piqued my interest. Spill."

Timmy let out a whiny groan. "You... look great. Really, really great."

"Really now? How do I know you're not just telling me what I want to hear?" Vicki leaned closer as she put her hands on her hips.

Timmy shrugged. "I dunno. My word isn't good enough?"

"Hm..." Vicki backed away a bit, crossed her arms under her chest(likely to emphasize a certain part of her anatomy) and shifted from one foot to the other. "I'm just trying to process why you'd have any reason to compliment a girl that's made your life Hell. Or so you've said."

"You did make my life Hell, there's no mistaking that." beautiful as she may have looked, it would take a lot more than a wardrobe change to cause any real shift in the brunet's opinion of this girl. "That being said, I do know how to look past certain aspects of a person's character, if only temporarily."

"That... has to be the smartest thing I've ever heard you say... You been studying with Baldy or something?"

"No, I'm in high school." Timmy deadpanned.

"Ah, that explains it. So... are you saying you forgive me for all the stuff I did to you?"

"Way to try and twist my words in your favor..." "No. I'm saying that despite the fact that you're a bitch, you are... beautiful."

"Ohh! I'm beautiful now? Didn't take you for the type to throw insult-compliments around..."

"Well, I've clearly said too much." Timmy frowned, mostly at himself.

"Just for that, I think I'll see tonight through to the end for you." Vicki stepped forward and stopped in front of Timmy.

He flinched as her hands came up, thinking she was about to strangle him, but he relaxed as he felt her merely adjusting his tie.

"But... You call me a bitch again, and I will strangle you with this tie." he felt her tighten the tie a bit. "Are we clear?" the sweet look and voice she gave him was a sharp contrast to her little threat.

Timmy gulped audibly, in part because of the closeness he was currently sharing with the red-head, and in part because that was not an empty threat. "Crystal."

"Good! Let us depart, I need to make sure that little shit stain behaves himself." Vicki walked around Timmy's car and got in, and Timmy did the same after sighing in relief that the girl had released him.

"So..." Timmy began as he started the car. "How've you been?"

"Are you trying to make small talk and avoid the inevitable uncomfortable silence, or do you actually care?"

Clearly she was confusing their personalities. Vicki was the one who didn't care about people, not him. "You know me..."

"Right. I could raise up an army of vampires and kill everyone you loved, yet you'd still ask me how my day was. Being too nice is gonna come back to bite you in the ass one day. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, Twerp."

How odd... He felt... a certain sense of what he guessed to be relief at hearing her old nickname for him. "Being nice has yet to kill me though, so I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go with no. When have you known me to be nice?"

"You've had your moments." "Ah crap." Did he really just pay her another compliment?! What happened to thinking she was evil?!

"I hope you don't think this night is gonna end with you getting lucky."

"Lucky?" "What is she- Oh. Of course. I'm a teenage boy, I must have sex on my mind all the time." "You think I expect to end this night by sleeping with you?" Timmy looked at Vicki incredulously.

"Are you trying to say that's not your plan? Let's see here... One, I know I'm a beautiful specimen of a woman, nevermind the fact that you told me so not three minutes ago. Two, you've been paying me compliments since you got to my house, even without me telling you to. Three, you're a teenage boy. Need I add more reasons to my list? Also, car."

Timmy swerved and returned his attention to the road as he realized he had been drifting into the other lane, narrowly missing an oncoming car as he did. "Except I enjoy living. Even if I was dumb enough to try my luck with... what you're suggesting, it would hinge not only on you being receptive to the idea, but I'd also have to have a deathwish, which I don't. So I'll ask again, how've you been?"

Timmy noticed Vicki watching him out of the corner of his eye. Had she really not expected him to care? She had to at least know that he didn't hate her... Why else would he have even gone through with asking her to the prom?

"Well enough, I suppose. Just finished with my online college classes..."

"College? What did you major in?"

"I'm gonna be a doctor." Vicki stated quite plainly.

Timmy however, was caught off guard and slammed on the brakes. "You?! A... a doctor? Really?!"

"Yeah... Something wrong with that?" clearly Vicki didn't find the idea of her being a doctor as odd as most people would.

"Er..." Timmy finally let up on the brake pedal and resumed driving towards his school. "I just... it doesn't seem like... your thing, I guess..."

"My 'thing'? What's that supposed to mean?" her words were laced with clear and obvious irritation.

"It's so hard to stay on her good side..." "I mean... I expected something that was a little less... 'people friendly'. Like a lawyer or something."

"I wanted something that paid well."

"Lawyers get paid well."

"If they win a case. Least when it comes to being a doctor, I get paid well even if I'm mean."

"Only if your patient survives."

"Not if all I have to do is diagnose my patients."

"...Fair enough. Anything else of note been going on?"

"...Actually, I have a question of my own..."

"Alright."

"What do you know about that Remy kid?"

"What do you know about him?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? She doesn't like him, called him a shit stain... But knows nothing about him? Oh wait. Vicki, right..." "I almost forgot about your general disdain for everyone that isn't you."

"Almost everyone." she corrected him.

"Right, almost everyone." He supposed Vicki liked Tootie, maybe their parents, and... him? Wait. Why did he care what Vicki thought of him? "Anyway, Remy's a pain in my ass from elementary school. Kid used to cry all the time about how his parents didn't love him, then when they finally did, he didn't change a bit. He has a clear and seemingly practiced dislike of me and my friends, and up until recently, Tootie as well. I don't know why he's suddenly dating Tootie, nor do I know why Tootie would be- Um..." Timmy caught himself. He could playfully make fun of Tootie in her company, but doing so in front of her overprotective sister... Could be dangerous.

"Why Tootie would be dumb enough to go out with someone who has evidently asserted himself as you and your friends' enemy?"

"Yes, exactly." Timmy was glad that Vicki finished for him, at least she understood(to some extent) that he didn't feel it would be safe to call Tootie dumb(true as it was in the current regard) in front of the red-head. He also felt an odd sort of bond with the normally abrasive girl. Not only was she being fairly polite and neutral with him, but she also shared his dislike of Remy Buxaplenty.

"It's probably a ploy on her part to make you jealous, and a ploy on his part to get under your skin." Vicki shrugged and leaned on her elbow to look out the passenger-side window.

"No... it couldn't be that... Well... not the first part anyway."

"And why not?" Vicki glanced over at Timmy.

"Because Tootie and I aren't... We're just friends."

"So I've heard. But if that is indeed the case, why do you think she's doing it then?"

"Dunno. I'm just her friend. Who she likes and doesn't like is her business, I just don't want her to get hurt..."

Vicki sighed and stretched, she wasn't particularly fond of long car rides. "Well, I guess there's one thing we can agree on." Vicki took a few minutes to think, and the interior of the car was filled with a comfortable silence. Much preferable to the uncomfortable variety. "Why not just admit that you like her?"

"Huh? You mean Tootie? I don't like her, not like you're suggesting."

"You'll forgive me for not being convinced, I hope."

Timmy took his eyes off the road and looked at Vicki to find her looking at him, her features marred ever so slightly by what he assumed to be disbelief. "We're back to square one now. There's not really anything I can do to make you believe me."

"Hm... A fair point. So then who do you like?"

"No one... Not like you're suggesting. Trixie is nuts and going to prom with AJ, Veronica is going with and seems to be pretty smitten with Chester, and Tootie-"

"Obsessed over you to the point that deep down you're terrified that you wouldn't be good enough for her if the two of you did try dating, then you'd break up and lose her friendship forever... Right?"

He supposed... that that was pretty close to the truth, actually. "Psychic."

"Not so much psychic as just good at reading people. And I can read you like a dog-eared book. Do you like my sister?"

"Didn't we just cover this?" "No, Tootie's my best friend. I just want what's best for her. And Remy isn't."

"So you're jealous."

"No."

"Do you like my sister?"

"What kind of game is this?!" "No, I don't like anyone right now."

"You sure? It seems like you like her..."

"Why did I even agree to this?!" "Vicki, I-"

"You like my sister?"

"No!"

"You don't like my sister?"

"No, I don't. Are you gonna keep this up all night?"

"Is it pissing you off?"

"Yes..."

"Guess you've got your answer then!"

It was going to be a long night...

Several minutes of driving and cursing later...

"Ugh! We're finally here!" Vicki practically leapt out of Timmy's car and stretched. "That took far too long..."

Timmy watched as his ex-babysitter cracked her neck and stretched her arms up over her head. "I'm gonna have to agree with you there." he facepalmed now and let out a very whiny-sounding... well, whine. "Why did I agree to this...?"

"Come again? Agree to this...? Ah! Tootie did give you my number, didn't she?"

"Yeah... Y'know, I'd almost forgotten how annoyingly mean you could be. So thank you for reminding me." Timmy got out of his car and shut the door, then looked up at his school as the building loomed over him menacingly. He leaned up against his car and considered getting back in, driving Vicki home, and forgetting this whole thing. Odd if one considered the fact that Timmy hadn't missed his other two proms.

Timmy was startled by a weight coming down on his shoulder, and looked to his left to see Vicki leaning on him with her elbow, as if he was a conveniently placed wall. "Gettin' cold feet?"

"No, I- ...Well... maybe a little..."

"Then maybe you should've thought more carefully about asking a twenty-two year old woman on a date, huh?"

"Twenty... two?! You're..."

"Think about it, Twerp. I was fourteen when we first met, and you were eight. Six year age difference. It's been eight years now, making you sixteen, and me...?"

"Twenty-two..." he had completely forgotten. Were it not for the makeup and mildly authoritative aura coming off her, Timmy figured she could easily pass as a high school senior.

"...How old did you think I was?" there was an unmistakeable hint of curiosity in her voice now. He was apparently becoming quite good at piquing his date's interest.

...And now he was thinking of her as his 'date', rather than 'the annoying red-head that used to make my life miserable'. "I... hadn't given it much thought, honestly. I was more concerned about you ripping my skin off than I was with your age."

"Hah! I'll only kill you if you give me reason to. So far, you've been behaving yourself, and as long as you don't call me 'bitch' again, I suppose I'll have to behave myself in kind... You wouldn't make a little mistake like that, would you...?" Vicki leaned in uncomfortably close, her face mere centimeters from Timmy's.

"Me? I wouldn't dream of it!" Timmy remarked sheepishly as he tried to lean away from Vicki.

"It seems you are smarter after all. Well then-" Vicki pulled Timmy's arm away from its spot at his side and looped her own through it. "Let's go make trouble."

He noticed her wink at him, and wasn't sure if said wink was meant to put him at ease, or if it was a threatening one to let him know he'd soon regret his decision to bring the red-head. "Guess I'll find out soon enough..." Timmy led Vicki over to the school's gymnasium-

"The prom's in the gym?!"

Only to be stopped in his tracks as Vicki voiced her displeasure. "Yes... Something wrong with that?"

"It's gonna smell like sweat and nutsacks!"

Timmy facepalmed again, not only because she yelled this out quite loudly, drawing the attention of several fellow prom-goers, but also because of her chosen... vocabulary. "It's in the gym, not the locker room, Vicki."

"They make you pay for your ticket?"

"Of course. A hundred-"

"You paid a hundred bucks for a ticket to a prom that's at the school?!"

"Actually two hundred, since I had to pay for you-"

"I take back what I said earlier, you are an idiot. What happened to the days when Dimmsdale High rented out a big hall for people to use at a restaurant or something?"

"Budget cuts, I assume. What's it matter? My family and I aren't scraping to get by, I don't see the big deal-"

"Money isn't the point! It's the principle of the matter! If the school's gonna make you pay that much to go to prom, the least they can do is shell out for a nice place to hold said prom!"

"Well, how the school uses my money is out of my hands. Write a letter if it bothers you so much." due to Vicki's complaints, the pair had yet to even enter the school. All they had succeeded in doing so far was garnering some very concerned looks from their fellow prom-goers. Timmy was sure he had heard someone mutter 'Poor Bastard' as they passed them by, among other fake-sounding sympathetic remarks.

"Are you still like that?" there was a certain... look of... disgust? He thought it was disgust, on her face.

"Like what?"

"You spend so much time being nice, helping people, going with the flow... yet I know you're not a robot like Baldy. Haven't you ever imagined what life would be like if you didn't hold back?"

"Hold... back? What are you even talking about?" he was well beyond confused now. Vicki wasn't talking to him rudely, or condescendingly, yet neither was she talking to him in a friendly manner. Somehow, 'neutral' didn't fit either.

"If something is bothering you, then confront it. If there's something wrong happening to someone, stop it. If you see something you want, take it. Understand?"

He didn't. What was she talking about? "You mean the money? It's not a big deal to me..."

"I don't mean the money!" she shouted at him, scaring several other couples into the building. "I mean everything! Grow a fucking spine! You don't like that Tootie's going out with Remy, so tell her how you feel!"

"What are- You... Don't you ever listen?!" at last, Timmy couldn't take it anymore, if he was gonna get through to the red-head, he was only gonna do it by giving her a taste of her own medicine. "I do not love Tootie! Is that so hard for you to get?! I'm her best friend, that's all! I should think that you, of all people, should understand it, especially since I've laid it out, clear as day for you! What we have, me and her... I like how it is now." Timmy lowered his voice and took a few deep breaths, he couldn't remember the last time he had yelled, like really yelled, like that. "I know she probably isn't happy about how things turned out between us, but-"

"But it's like you said, right? You don't want to ruin what you two do have. You love her, just not... romantically." at last, there was a degree of understanding in her voice.

Finally, he had actually gotten through, or so it seemed anyway.

"My sister should count herself lucky to have a friend like you. It's a rare thing in this day and age to have someone that genuinely cares about your well-being." she patted him on the head, definitely condescendingly, as if he were a child. "Feel better now that you let that out?"

"I hate her, so much..." A part of him; the childish part, did not like to even think about admitting that she was right, not about anything. Yet, in this particular instance, he did indeed feel better after yelling at Vicki. "A little... Sorry I yelled at you..."

"Ugh!" Vicki facepalmed with a loud slapping sound. "And you were doing so well too! Why are you apologizing?!"

"Be-because I yelled at you?"

"That was the whole-" Vicki sighed exasperatedly. "Nevermind. I think you're a lost cause. Why apologize for rightfully yelling at someone who has made your life miserable?"

Timmy could feel her eying him up and down, making him feel more like an animal facing down a predator than a teen looking at his date. He shrugged.

"Well said." she sighed again. "Absolutely hopeless..." she shook her head and began walking by him.

"I-!" he stopped himself as his blurted out response caused her to jump slightly and turn to look at him again.

"You...? What?"

"I don't- I don't hate you."

"...Okay...?"

"I wanted... you to know."

"Why's that?"

"You asked why I felt the need to apologize to you, despite the fact that we don't usually get along. It's because I don't hate you. Even if you hate me... I don't hate you. Why else would I have asked you out tonight?"

"Because you had no one to go with to this stupid prom, you said it yourself." Vicki had moved away from the double doors leading to the gym and was now facing Timmy again, though he was clearly going out of his way to avoid looking her in the eyes.

"That's true... But... We both know that if I hated you, I wouldn't have asked you at all, right?"

"Hmph." Vicki frowned at him.

"Something wrong?" Why frown at him with such... disdain? Why now?

"Since we're getting all honest and mushy now..."

Vicki took pause and blushed, though it was barely noticeable in the dim moonlight. It was there though, and Timmy nearly felt his heart stop. She was blushing?

"I suppose it should be obvious at this point that I don't... necessarily hate you. You're annoying as Hell, a wimp, you've got no spine, and you're too nice... But hate you? No. There are far more people deserving of my hatred than you."

"Wow. Unexpected." he was literally speechless. What could he possibly say to her now? What could top that? He spent eight years thinking that she hated him... Because... it just made sense to think that way!

"If we're being honest..." Vicki huffed in agitation. "I like you-"

"Wha?!" Timmy did indeed feel his heart stop now.

"Not like that, moron!" Vicki shouted as her cheeks changed color from pink to crimson. "For being friends with Tootie! We both know how hard school can be when you don't have friends; people to back you up... You were... there for her when I couldn't be. I'm grateful for that." the blush on her cheeks was beginning to fade, but it was still clearly there.

"Oh... Um... You're... welcome?"

"...We should... probably get inside before I vomit from all this... Blech..."

"Good idea." Timmy opened the door and held it open for Vicki as she walked by him. Nervous... Nervous did not even begin to explain how he felt. All confidence was thrown- No, shot out of a cannon and out the window. "What is wrong with you?" Timmy muttered to himself as he followed Vicki into the gym and was immediately hit by the smell of... Sweat and... "Great..."

"I'm gonna need some alcohol to get through this." Vicki said as she disappeared into the crowd of students that were either mingling, or dancing. It was hard to tell.

"I'll be... around." Timmy called after her, nodding to himself as she waved to him without looking back. He didn't have the heart to remind her that this was a high school prom, there wasn't any alcohol. It was a bit strange for his babysitter to act unsure like she was. Perhaps he had caught her off guard when he suggested(albeit accidentally) that she might like him.

The brunet took a few steps forward before stopping again and holding his chin in thought. Luckily for him, there wasn't much dancing going on at the moment, so he didn't have to worry about standing in the middle of the dance floor like a complete idiot.

"Vicki." And there it was. An almost imperceptibly small spark. But the kind that makes your heartbeat quicken just a bit, makes your face flush with heat for no more than an instant, and makes the other thoughts in your brain submit so it steals all of the organ's attention. He had been told in the past that he was the kind of person who wore his heart on his sleeve. He didn't cry at the drop of a hat or anything, but... There was an odd sort of draw that he picked up on from certain members of the opposite sex.

One that Trixie once had that enthralled him, drew him toward her... Until he found out what she was like without people around. The raven-haired girl needed people gushing over her at all hours of wakefulness, and Timmy's affections alone wouldn't be enough to sate her appetite. He learned that the hard way.

Vicki on the other hand...

At least he knew her. Knew how to placate her(to an extent). When she was mad, when she was(very rarely) happy. And he had known her for half the time he had been alive. She probably didn't know it(and wouldn't like it if she did), but he actually knew her quite well. And now...

That certain draw towards Trixie that he once had... He now felt it for Vicki.

And... something clicked. And Timmy's eyes widened as the realization hit him... Actually not that hard. It was more like solving a difficult math problem than curing cancer. "How dull." Timmy spoke up, though he could barely hear himself over the people talking and the music blaring. He thought he'd be... Shocked? Over something like this?

But he wasn't. Not really. It was more 'Huh, that makes sense.' than 'What the fuck?!'.

"Hey dude! What did I say about showing up alone?" a shouting Chester's hand on his shoulder shook Timmy from his thoughts, and he spun around to face the blond teen.

"Come again?"

"You! Where's yer date, pardner?"

"Really?" Timmy deadpanned. "We're doing this? Cowboy accents?"

"Agh. Killjoy." behind Chester(and practically hanging all over him) was Veronica, who seemed to be quite pleased with her choice of date. "So...?"

"As much as it looks like I came alone, I did not. My date's here... somewhere."

"Imaginary dates don't count."

"She's not-! You're hilarious. AJ and Trixie make it?"

"Pfft! No! Remember that little 'science project'? Pretty sure that's code for screwing when it comes to Brainiac. They didn't even show up!"

"Huh. His loss."

"Not really. When is getting laid a loss?"

"...Good point." "Then again, you don't know her like I do..." "Either of you seen Tootie?"

"Yeah, she's here with Remy." Veronica spoke up and gestured somewhere behind her with her thumb. "Jealous?" she winked at him.

"Why does everyone say that?! What's a guy have to do to get it through your thick skulls?! I do not like Tootie! ...That way."

"Mm-hm. I'm sure you don't. I mean, it's not glaringly obvious with that kind of reaction." Chester teased.

Timmy inhaled deeply, then sighed loudly and dramatically. "Look. I just want to make sure Remy doesn't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Sure man, whatever you say. At any rate, Remy and Tootie are fine. I've been keeping an eye on them since they showed up."

"And?"

"Nothing to report, Captain!" Chester saluted mockingly.

"As you were, soldier." Timmy played along and saluted as well, earning both teens an eye roll from Veronica.

"So... who's your date?"

"My date?"

"Yeah, you said you had a date, who is she? ...Or he." Chester added slyly(he thought).

"Ahaha. So funny. Gay jokes." there was no amusement in Timmy's voice. "She is... around."

"Right. So who is she? Do I know her?"

"Oh... Most definitely. We both know her quite well."

"Hm... She cute?" this earned the blond a light slap from Veronica.

"Well... I think she is. But you know what they say about beauty being in the eye of the beholder..."

"Well... ya got good taste in girls, I'll give ya that dude... So by that logic, it's probably a safe bet that she's hot. 'Course, I got my own date, so it's not really my business. Still haven't told me who she is though!"

"Who who is?"

"Gotta love her timing..." Timmy thought as his prom date came over and leaned on his shoulder again, causing his blond friend's face to turn ghostly white. This time however, Timmy was feeling just a bit bolder, and snaked his arm around the red-head, letting his hand come to rest on her hip. "Chester, I think you've met my date before, haven't you?" he had felt Vicki tense up ever so slightly when he rested his hand on her hip, but she was either fine with it and relaxed, or she was very good at going with a plan on a whim. And would probably rip his face off later.

"Braces! How've you been?!" she'd confront her idiot date on his bold move later, for now, there were children to terrify.

"V-V-Vicki?! Why- Why are you here?!"

"Because the Twerp needed a date and I thought: 'What the hell, right?'. Hm? Oh! Looks like I can't call you Braces anymore! And I see you bagged yourself quite a looker! Not bad Blondie, not bad..."

"This can't possibly end badly..." Timmy shot Chester an apologetic look, yet it was marred by the amused grin he was sporting.

"I'm Vicki, ex-babysitter to this one-" Vicki nudged Timmy with her elbow. "And this one too!" Vicki poked Chester's forehead playfully, causing him to jump back in fright.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Veronica Star!" Veronica extended her arm over Chester's shoulder to shake Vicki's hand. "I'm his date, and..." Veronica giggled and blushed.

"Uh-huh? Well good for you two!" Vicki continued to speak in her sugary-sweet voice, likely to keep up her cover as the loving babysitter.

"Ahem. Can I talk to you? In private?" Chester looked at Timmy and gestured over to one of the tables that didn't have too many people flocked around it.

"Uh... Sure?" Timmy looked at Vicki. "You gonna be okay for a few?"

Vicki looked at him with a slight smirk and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll take that as a yes." he followed Chester over to the indicated table after the blond assured his own date that he'd be right back.

Meanwhile, Vicki shook her head as Timmy walked away. "What's he playing at? Asking me if I'm gonna be-"

"So how long have you known Timmy and Chester?"

Vicki was shaken from her thoughts by the other blonde teen. "Crap. Already forgot her name... Lisa? No... Crystal? No... Oh! Veronica! Right..." "Known Timmy for about eight years, his friend... a little less. You?"

"Me? I... well..." Veronica looked down at her shoes and lightly kicked some invisible thing. "I've... known about Timmy and Chester since..."

Meanwhile...

"Are you completely out of your mind?!"

Timmy supposed this was the reaction he expected to get from Chester, and he silently thanked Fate that AJ had more... pressing matters to attend to tonight. "What do you think?"

"I think you must've taken a serious blow to the head at some point between now and a few days ago! Maybe you should get checked out for a concussion... Or a hemorrhage..."

"Chester, I appreciate the concern, but I'm completely in charge of my faculties, really."

"Oh! Are you now?! Then please, explain to me why you'd bring the Devil back into our lives!"

"Morbid Curiosity."

"Dude, seriously? Not in the mood for jokes. Isn't she like, twenty-six or something?! You're a minor and-"

"Chester? Deep breath. Vicki's twenty-two. And yes, I am a minor, but I don't plan on getting laid tonight, so there shouldn't be a problem. Finally, Vicki's being... pretty chill, actually. So I figure that as long as we both do our best to stay on her good side, we shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"How did this even happen?!" Chester shouted as he wildly waved his arms over his head, scaring away the few other people that had been standing around the table.

Evidently, Timmy's attempts at calming his best friend down weren't working. "I needed a date."

"So you picked Vicki?!"

"There was little choice. Tootie gave me her number when she heard you complaining that I didn't have a date for prom. So I called her up and-"

"And she's going to kill us! I'll bet she's just waiting for the adults to lower their guard so she can burn this place to the ground with her thoughts!"

"...You got a bucket of pig's blood or something?"

"What does pig's blood have to do with Vicki killing us?!"

"...Nevermind. Joke went over your head. Look, just try to calm down, can you do that for me?"

"...Argh... I don't like it... But-" Chester watched as Timmy looked over at their dates and waved. At the red-headed one. While smiling. Said red-head raised an eyebrow and waved at Timmy with a look of obvious confusion on her face. "You... Oh... You're crazy alright."

"Hm? You say something?"

"You... you like Vicki?!" Chester made sure to whisper this, fully knowing the consequences should Vicki hear them.

Timmy looked at Chester and smirked.

"S-since when?"

"Since about... five minutes ago. After a bit of deep thought, of course."

"How can you fall for someone so easily? How can you fall for her so easily?! Have you lost your mind?"

"Quite possibly."

Chester found himself oddly reassured by his friend's nonchalance at the prospect of dating the Devil. "Whatever man." he laughed lightly. "I'll bet she fucks like a tiger, but that's probably your thing, right?"

"Let me stop you right there. Shut up. You can talk about other girls like that, much as I don't like it, but please don't say things like that about the girl I like."

"Ah, forgot that you're a prude, sorry. Shall we get back to it then?"

"We shall." the two teens returned to their dates. "You end up finding any alcohol?"

"No." Vicki pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Should've known that your stupid school wouldn't be keen on underage drinking."

"Well... yeah..."

The rest of the night proceeded... Not as smoothly as Timmy would've liked. Vicki was apparently not much of a fan of dancing, though she assured him that she could dance, she 'just didn't want to', according to her. Which left the two of them with little to do other than talk to Chester and a few of his friends, keep an eye on Tootie and Remy, and generally stand around awkwardly(Timmy mostly, seeing as how there was apparently very little that could shatter Vicki's confidence).

"I'm bored." Vicki suddenly spoke up after having quietly leaned up against a wall for several minutes.

"And...? You don't want to dance, and there's not a whole lot else to do at a junior prom..."

"Why not make trouble?"

She had offered this idea earlier, and Timmy mostly ignored it then, but after a few hours of inane chatter and watching everyone else have fun, the brunet was growing impatient. Her idea was now far more interesting to him. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Nothing too serious... You know how to dance?"

"Do you?"

"Already told you I did."

"And I wouldn't have asked you to dance if I didn't know how myself, so...?"

"Fantastic. It's a slow dance right now, and there's my sister and her moron of a date." Vicki pointed at Remy and Tootie. "Go and cut in."

"Why me?"

"Because I can't cut in on and dance with my sister, it's... weird."

"Fair enough... But I don't want to hear anymore about me having a crush on her, deal?"

"Nope. Go."

"Ugh... Fine." funny how only a few hours ago, Timmy found her acidic personality wholly unpleasant, yet now it was endearing, in a way. He made his way over to Tootie, making sure to stay out of Remy's line of sight until he was right next to the couple. "Mind if I cut in my good man?" Yes, he was going so far as to mock Remy's waspy accent and gentlemanly vocabulary.

"Turner? I'm afraid-"

"Timmy!" before Remy could utter another word, Tootie had released him and taken Timmy's hands in her own. "I won't be too long Remy!"

Timmy heard Remy growl and mutter something akin to 'Very well', before walking off in an obvious huff. "So how're things going?"

"With Remy? He's... kind of a stick in the mud, but sweet. How's my sister?"

"Agreeable... For the most part. You should've seen Chester's face when she showed up... If only I'd had a camera!"

"I'll bet! Didn't give him a heart attack, did you?"

"No... He's fine. I even got his blessing... I guess."

"Blessing for what?" Tootie looked over her shoulder at her sister, who was now chatting with Remy.

"I-" Timmy followed Tootie's gaze to their dates. "Nevermind... What's she up to?"

"It's Vicki, so it's probably something evil." the two watched as Remy spoke at length with Vicki, then took her hand in his own and led her onto the dance floor, evidently making sure he was giving Timmy and Tootie a wide berth. Vicki however, noticed her sister and her date, and shot them an evil smirk, accompanied by a wave. "Scratch that, it's definitely something evil."

"What do you wanna do?"

"Let's... play along. I know you don't like Remy-"

"Hey! I don't-"

"Shh." Tootie placed her index finger on Timmy's lips. "I get it. He's been a prick to us for most of our lives. I got the same vibe from Vicki tonight that I get from you everytime you see me and him together, so let's-" Tootie stopped as Timmy stuck his tongue out, touching her finger. "Ew! And you call me weird?!"

"Sorry." Timmy smiled at Tootie. He was clearly not sorry at all. "So you wanna just watch them and see what happens?"

"Yuck..." Tootie wiped her hand on her dress. "Yeah, we'll just- His hand is on her ass." she interrupted herself as she watched her date and her sister dance.

"That was fast." Timmy deadpanned. "Should we-"

"Pervert!" the insult was yelled through the gym as Remy's head was plunged into a bowl of punch.

"Okay, that was fast. C'mon, we should make sure she doesn't kill him." Timmy quickly led the way through the crowd with Tootie in tow, only releasing her hand once they reached Vicki so he could keep the red-head from murdering her sister's date. "Vicki! He needs to breathe!"

"Hmph!" much as she didn't want to, Vicki released her victim and shoved him away so he could breathe. "It's not like I was gonna kill him..."

"Of course not, you wouldn't do something like that, right?" Timmy moved past Vicki and knelt down to talk to Remy. Much as he didn't like(read: hated) him, he didn't want him to get killed. Mostly because it meant his date going to jail, and him having to go home and wish her out of jail. Timmy Turner just didn't have that kind of time. "You alright?"

"You- you and your... Whatever she is, stay away from me! I'll- I'll see you both in chains for this!" Remy weakly swung at Timmy, which he easily avoided.

"Jeez, just trying to make sure you're alright..." Timmy stood up and took a few steps back from Remy while putting his hands up in defense.

"I'll-!" Remy stood and got right in Timmy's face, evidently being under the assumption that Timmy had something to do with with Vicki's little plan.

"You'll what?" Vicki shoved Timmy out of the way and in turn got right in Remy's face.

"I'll uh... Let this slide because it's our prom... But erm... you and your date better watch yourselves!" Remy backed away from the trio and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Ah... none of the men in this generation have any spine..."

"Standing right here." Timmy stuck his hand up and waved.

"Oh, I know. Sorry about your idiot- I mean, date, sis."

"No worries. He wasn't really my type anyway." Tootie shrugged and scanned the crowd.

"So why go with him?" Timmy looked at Tootie in confusion. He had been under the impression that Tootie did indeed like Remy, with all the texting the two had done back and forth.

"I needed someone to go with, duh. Also morbid curiosity."

"What about me?! I asked you!"

"Yeah, but if I went with you, you wouldn't be able to go with my sister. Again, duh... Oh! There's one! See you two after the prom!" Timmy watched Tootie dart into the crowd, likely having found another prospective date.

"She got over that fast..." Timmy turned his attention back to his date. "So..."

"Yeah?" Vicki looked at Timmy with a distinct lack of interest.

"Wanna dance now?"

Again, she quirked an eyebrow up at his request. Why was it so odd for him to ask her to dance at a prom?

"Gonna make the same mistake he did?" she challenged.

"One way to find out." Timmy boldly shot back.

Her eyes widened slightly at that response. "Someone's feeling confident."

"Probably because my date's been making me wait all night. We've got less than an hour before this thing ends, can I get one dance?"

"Maybe... If you ask very nicely." the red-head smirked again, thinking she had caught him. He'd think such an act was too demeaning, he'd never-

"Vicki Valentine, would you do me the honor of dancing with me tonight?" Timmy bowed slightly as he spoke.

"Hm. Guess I don't have much choice after that." as she said this, a slower-paced song came on. A couples song. "Fuck."

"Ah! You can't turn me down!"

"Ugh... I know. Let's just get this over with before I puke."

"Classy."

"Should've picked a different girl if you wanted classy." Vicki allowed Timmy to grab her hand and lead her into the crowd. "Better not think I'm gonna dance with you in the middle of the dance floor like some cliché romance movie..."

"I'll spare you from that form of torture... This time." Timmy spun around and held Vicki's left hand in his right as he placed his left hand on her hip. "Too much?"

"Not like it's the first time you've done it tonight." Vicki brought her right hand up and rested it on Timmy's shoulder. "Just remember to keep it where it is, or I'll break it off."

Timmy ignored her threat and continued. "Y'know, I'm glad I asked you out." he leaned forward a bit, bringing his face dangerously close to Vicki's and making her pull away a bit.

"And why's that?" there was no cleverness behind her question, nor a witty remark for whatever was to follow. She genuinely wanted to know why he was glad she was his date.

"Because. Even though you made me wait most of the night for our first and probably only dance, you're a lot of fun. There's never been an attempted murder at one of these proms before."

"Well-" Vicki began and smiled. "You knew what you were getting into when you asked me out."

"Actually, I expected to be dead by now, so thanks for not killing me."

"I could still kill you, if you want?"

Timmy chuckled. "I'll pass, thanks."

"My turn for a question."

"By all means."

"What's with this?" Vicki leaned in as Timmy had, expecting him to pull back like she did.

Except he didn't, causing Vicki's forehead to lightly bump against Timmy's, and her train of thought to be sent careening off a cliff.

"What's with what?"

Even in the reddish-pink light illuminating the gymnasium, Vicki could tell Timmy was blushing, though what annoyed her now was the confident smirk on his face. "You were supposed to lean away from me..." she felt her own cheeks heating up now.

"Maybe I don't want to lean away? Ever think of that?" Timmy pushed his forehead against hers, ensuring they'd both stay in contact.

Vicki narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you playing at?"

"It... isn't obvious?"

"It's obvious alright, I just hope for you're sake that I'm mistaken."

"You're not." Timmy replied calmly and shrugged.

"He's cool as a fucking cucumber!" "So what? You think you'll just kiss me and there won't be any repercussions?"

"I didn't say that. I'm sure there'll be repercussions, I just... find myself not caring at the moment."

"Nevermind confident, you're overconfident."

"Weren't you the one who said life would be so much better if we just... took what we wanted?" by now, neither Timmy nor Vicki were paying attention to the rest of the prom. Both were entirely focused on each other, so much so that they could hear one another perfectly clearly.

"I didn't mean- This is different."

"Not really. You said to me that I should take what I want. And I want you."

She frowned at him, feeling an odd mixture of emotions. Annoyance, for one. Embarrassment? Definitely. Happy... Why was she happy? Okay, the jury was out on that one. Both why and if she was happy. Maybe she was less happy and more... Amused? "You're gonna regret it."

"I doubt that."

"...I'm waiting."

Timmy leaned in and pressed his lips to Vicki's. The kiss was chaste, and quick; seeing as how he didn't want to make Vicki anymore uncomfortable than she likely already was, but long enough to elicit a very Tootie-sounding 'Woo' from somewhere in the crowd, and a whistle that was more than likely from Chester.

"So how'd I do?" Timmy looked at Vicki hopefully.

"That's your best? We need to work on that."

"The insults never end- Wait." "We?"

"We. As in, me and you." Vicki leaned in this time, but stopped herself as Tootie released a squee from right next to them, earning the girl a glare from her sister. "...After the prom. Somewhere more... private."