Crane remained on his knees, eyes locked on Vi.
Blood still smeared his lips. Her kiss—literally—stamped across his forehead.
Both of them were breathing heavily.
From behind them:
"You guys done?"
"Yeah, you done yet?"
Mylo and Claggor still had their hands over Ekko and Powder's eyes, their own eyes squeezed shut.
Vi and Crane glanced over.
Crane inhaled slowly. "I… don't know?"
He looked up at Vi again. "Are we done?"
Vi, still blushing, hesitated—then gave a small nod. "Yeah. We're done."
She turned back to the boys. "Just give us ten more seconds."
"Ugh. Fine," Mylo groaned, hands still clamped over Powder's eyes.
"TEN!" Powder suddenly shouted, already counting down.
Crane pushed himself up from the ground, a little shaky.
"Nine!"
He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand—and as he did, the wound healed instantly.
"Eight!"
He glanced at his hand, now smeared with red, and casually wiped it on his shirt.
Vi watched him.
"Seven!"
She raised her own hand to her mouth, wiping away his blood from her lips.
"Six!"
She paused, then looked at his shirt—already stained.
Without hesitation, she wiped her hand on him too.
Crane blinked, looking down at the new smear.
Vi just smiled. "That was fun."
"Five!"
"I liked the biting," Crane said with a small shrug, "but I kinda wish I could have a normal kiss. You know… one without blood."
Vi's eyes narrowed with amusement.
Her hand, still resting on his shirt, suddenly clenched the fabric—pulling him in.
Their mouths met again.
No aggression. No struggle for dominance.
This time, it was equal. Balanced. Mutual.
Vi's hands curled around the back of his head.
Crane's arms wrapped around her waist, holding her like she might disappear.
The countdown faded behind them.
Their world, for that moment, was just lips and breath and warmth.
—————————————
"One!" Powder declared, proud and loud.
"It's time! Mylo, releasemenow!" she demanded, squirming.
Mylo, eyes still firmly shut just in case, finally took his hands off her face.
"Hey, Claggor… was that really ten seconds?" Mylo asked, frowning. "Or was Powder just counting fast?"
"I actually don't kn—"
"WHOA!" Powder shouted, cutting him off.
"They're kissing! I repeat—they're kissing!"
Vi and Crane sprang apart, and Vi's face flushed a deep red.
She turned to Powder. "Powder, I—"
But she sighed instead, realizing she should be grateful Powder hadn't seen the first kiss.
"It's fine," Vi called out, straightening up. "Mylo, Claggor—you can open your eyes now."
Claggor let go of Ekko's face then opened own eyes.
"I almost fell asleep," Ekko muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Meanwhile, Mylo still had his eyes closed.
"But what if you're still kissing?" he asked, clearly distressed. "I don't want to see my sister kissing someone."
Crane gave him a dry smile. "Mylo, how could Vi be talking to you while kissing me? And how would I be talking to you?"
"…Good point," Mylo muttered. He slowly opened one eye… then the other.
And sighed in relief when he saw no one was kissing anymore.
Powder grinned, satisfied. "I thought I was gonna miss out on my own sister's first kiss."
She turned to Mylo and stuck out her tongue. "Thanks a lot for that, by the way."
Vi, finally regaining her composure, clapped her hands together. "Alright, back to collecting scrap for Ekko."
She gestured toward the piles of metal scattered around. "That's why we came here, remember?"
"We'll get back to that," Claggor said with a smirk, "but not you, Vi."
"Huh?" Vi blinked.
Claggor crossed his arms. "You've got a lot to say to Jonathan. Love needs time. And communication."
Crane, now crouching to grab the bag he'd dropped earlier, glanced up at Claggor.
"Well said," he muttered. "I like him."
Vi looked between them, a little exasperated but clearly flustered too.
"Okay, fine. Just—don't say love like that."
Mylo, Claggor, and Ekko went back to scavenging.
Powder gave Vi a lingering look, then decided to join Ekko's side without a word—though the grin on her face said plenty.
Vi walked up to Crane, slipped her arm around his shoulder.
"So," she said, tilting her head toward him.
"So?" Crane echoed, glancing at her sideways.
"So what now?" Vi asked, her tone casual, but her cheeks a little pink.
"I was planning on making tea," Crane muttered. "Think we could… meet for some? Like, you know. A date."
Vi blinked, then smiled. "A date… sounds good."
She blushed a little deeper, almost catching herself off-guard.
Crane nodded once, thoughtful.
"I'm gonna have to introduce you to Vander," Vi added, a hint of dread in her voice.
"But I already met him," Crane said, thinking back to his visit to the Last Drop with Caitlyn.
Vi tightened her arm around his shoulder, pulling him just a little closer.
"I know," she said. "But you haven't met him with me."
She gave him a serious look. "And Vander doesn't like being out of the loop."
"About the last kiss," Crane said, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Vi looked at him, eyebrow raised. "What about it?"
"I liked it," Crane said. "…But I liked the first one better."
He hesitated. "Is that weird?"
Vi shook her head, something soft in her expression. "No, it's not weird."
She looked down for a second. "To be honest… I liked the first kiss too."
Crane chuckled, relieved. "I'm glad we're on the same page."
"I wasn't on your page," Vi teased, grinning. "You put me on it."
Then, more quietly, "But I'm glad you did."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek, lingering just enough to make him blink.
"You're a weird person," Vi said, pulling back with a half-smile. "But I want to know you. Really know you. Understand your weirdness."
"I want to understand you too," he said, gaze lingering.
"I'm an open book," Vi said, shrugging. "Or… that's what most people tell me."
Crane looked at her. "You're strong."
Vi blinked. "Huh?" She pulled back a little. "Where did that come from?"
"Well… your arm's around my shoulder, and the grip you had on me during the kiss—and the slight choking on the first one."
Vi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, do you not like that I'm strong? And hey—sorry about the choking, I wasn't trying to—"
"What? No!" Crane quickly held up a hand. "I like that you're strong!"
He paused, then added, "And when I said I liked the first kiss, I meant all of it. Including the choking."
Vi stared at him.
Crane cleared his throat, thinking aloud, "Though… just to be clear, that's not an invitation to choke me harder."
Vi stared at him for a moment, then said, "You forgot something."
She gestured to his forehead. "Right here."
"Forgot what?" Crane asked, confused.
"The blood print I left after our first kiss." Vi smiled, a little bashful now.
Crane lifted his hand to wipe it off—but Vi caught his wrist.
"Wait." Her voice softened. A blush crept up her cheeks. "You can barely notice it with your skin already red… but still."
Crane raised a brow. "Then I should wipe it before someone does notice."
Vi shook her head. "No. Leave it."
She held his gaze. "I want to engrave this sight into my mind."
There was a pause. Then she slowly let go of his hand.
"…Okay, you can wipe it off now," Vi said, her voice lighter.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll do it later," Crane replied, almost teasing.
A smirk tugged at her lips, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I'll meet you tomorrow at the LastDrop."
Crane blinked. "Uh—sure. Yeah. To meet Vander, right?"
Vi shook her head. "Nah. To have tea."
She paused a beat. "Of course to meet Vander!"
Crane squinted at her. "You scared me for a second."
Vi chuckled and stepped away, glancing toward Powder and Ekko still digging through scrap. "I should probably help."
Crane nodded, already reaching for his things. "Yeah… and my tea is calling me."
He looked at her one more time. "I don't want to murder any more time."
Vi rolled her eyes but smiled. "Weirdo."
"Strong girl."
They parted—Vi back to the group, Crane toward the alley—each walking away with just a little more to think about.
————————————-
Back at the lab, Crane walked through the dim tunnels with a bag full of herbs, flowers, roots—anything he vaguely remembered tea might be made from.
Today was… fun, he thought. I confessed to Vi. I also kissed her.
It's surprisingly a good day.
He reached the lab door and pushed it open.
"I'm back!"
Singed looked up from his workbench, slightly surprised. "You usually return at night. What's different this time?"
Crane held up his bulging bag, smiling. "I went out and got this."
"I'm making tea."
He paused, already seeing it coming. "And no, I don't need your help."
Singed didn't argue. He just tilted his head. "Okay."
Then added, "I also went out."
Crane blinked. "Wait, really? You went out?"
Singed reached under the table and picked up a small metal cage.
"I got a cat."
——————————-
I hated the cat in the hat.